25 June,2026 07:17 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut. File Pic
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday took a jibe at the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the BJP after NCERT introduced a topic on the 1975 Emergency in a Class 9 textbook, stating that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi did not break any political party.
The "breaking a party" remark came in the context of six of nine UBT Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MPs switching to the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde, reported PTI.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Raut claimed that the country has been under an "Emergency-like situation" for the past 12 years.
Defending the 1975 Emergency, he said the Constitution provides for such provisions.
"There is an Emergency in this country for the last 12 years. Indira Gandhi did not break any political party or abolish the Constitution. The Emergency is not just a subject for study; it is also provided for in the Constitution," Raut said, reported PTI.
"There is a provision in the Constitution for an Emergency if anarchy spreads in the country. This does not mean that you should not respect the Constitution. I want to ask why demonetisation was implemented? Why were stringent restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic?" he added.
He further said Balasaheb Thackeray had supported the Emergency and questioned hypothetical scenarios regarding dissent against the government.
Meanwhile, NCERT has introduced the topic in a Class 9 Social Science textbook, presenting the 1975 Emergency as "one of the major challenges" in Indian democracy, noting that most fundamental rights were suspended during the period.
The reference appears in the newly developed textbook Understanding Society: India and Beyond, which includes the Emergency in a chapter on the strengths and challenges of Indian democracy.
Rajasthan Congress MLA Sachin Pilot also criticised the move, alleging that the BJP-led government is attempting to alter historical narratives, PTI reported.
He further accused the Centre of misusing institutions, including the judiciary, bureaucracy, and the Election Commission.
"Whenever the BJP government is in power, they try to present history in their own way. The challenges faced by democracy today are unprecedented. Institutions are being misused," Pilot said.
This comes as the NDA government is observing the proclamation anniversary of the 1975 Emergency on June 25 as âSamvidhan Hatya Diwas'.
(With PTI inputs)
