Rajasthan Govt: 'Emergency detainees are not freedom fighters'

The State Government of Rajasthan on Monday has taken a call to withdraw the allowances being provided to all those that have been detained under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. The Government has stated that they were not freedom fighters and hence the withdrawal of the allowances. 

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Will save Rs. 40 crore annually

In a meeting of the state Cabinet Ministers chaired by the Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot, the government further also reversed its decision to hold direct elections for the posts of mayors and chairpersons in corporations and municipalities. When the Gehlot-led Congress came to power last year, it had introduced direct elections. The decision to discontinue pension, medical assistance and other benefits to MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act), DIR (defence of India) detainees in the state will save Rs. 40 crore annually, according to a press release issued later. On doing away with the allowances being given to those detained under MISA during the Emergency, state parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal said, "We do not consider MISA detainee as a freedom fighter". The MISA detainees were getting a pension of Rs. 20,000 per month. It was increased from Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 20,000 per month by the previous BJP government in July 2018. 

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'Celebrating the Emergency'

The cabinet also took other decisions including TSP (tribal sub-plan) reservation benefit to a woman from a non-TSP area if she marries to a man of TSP area. Opposition BJP said the government has taken a U-turn on its own decision as it was under fear ahead of the local bodies' elections which are due next month "because of a wave of patriotism" under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The government has taken a U-turn on the election manifesto, where the Congress had promised to hold direct elections. The Congress was hoping that their caste politics will give them the opportunity but after the abrogation of Article 370, the wave of patriotism again started in the country under PM Modi's leadership," BJP state president Satish Poonia said.

BJP MLA and former education minister Vasudev Devnani said that the decision to discontinue pension to MISA detainees was like "celebrating the Emergency". "The state government has stopped the pension to MISA detainees. It is like celebrating the emergency. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had sent lakhs of people behind bars under MISA after the Emergency and to prove that right, the Congress government in the state is discontinuing their pension," Devnani said. 

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"The Emergency"

 "The Emergency" is the darkest period in India's history. It is a 21-month period from 1975 to 1977, when PM Indira Gandhi had a state of emergency declared across the country. Officially issued by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under Article 352 of the Constitution because of the prevailing "internal disturbance", the Emergency was in effect from 26 June 1975 until its withdrawal in January 1977. The order bestowed upon the Prime Minister the authority to rule by decree, allowing elections to be suspended and civil liberties to be curbed. For much of the Emergency, most of Gandhi's political opponents were imprisoned and the press was censored. Several other human rights violations were reported from the time, including a forced mass-sterilisation campaign. The Emergency is one of the most controversial periods of independent India's history.

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(Inputs from PTI)