Modi Archive@modiarchive
In his own words, @narendramodi has described the Emergency as an unexpected opportunity (Aapda Mein Avsar) that allowed him to work with leaders and organizations across the political spectrum, exposing him to diverse ideologies and viewpoints.
The story of the Emergency, however, did not begin on June 25, 1975, when it was imposed. Student-led agitations against the corruption of the Congress Party were sweeping across the entire nation, and Gujarat was no exception.
In 1974, during the Navnirman Andolan in Gujarat, Narendra Modi witnessed firsthand the power of students' voices in effecting change in the nation. As a Yuva Pracharak of the RSS, he was deputed to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad to voice the youth movement through his fiery speeches.
जब कर्तव्य ने पुकारा तो कदम कदम बढ़ गये
जब गूंज उठा नारा 'भारत माँ की जय'
तब जीवन का मोह छोड़ प्राण पुष्प चढ़ गये
कदम कदम बढ़ गये
टोलियाँ की टोलियाँ जब चल पड़ी यौवन की
तो चौखट चरमरा गये सिंहासन हिल गये
प्रजातंत्र के पहरेदार सारे भेदभाव तोड़
सारे अभिनिवेश छोड़, मंजिलों पर मिल गये
चुनौती की हर पंक्ति को सब एक साथ पढ़ गये
कदम कदम बढ़ गये
सारा देश बोल उठा जयप्रकाश जिंदाबाद
तो दहल उठे तानाशाह
भृकुटियां तन गई
लाठियाँ बरस पड़ी सीनों पर माथे पर
[Excerpts from a poem about the Navnirman movement in the pages of Narendra Modi's personal diary]
#DarkDaysOfEmergency