Ranchi, June 25: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya, in a strongly-worded press conference, compared the current political environment in India to an “undeclared Emergency” that has lasted for 11 years since 2014. Marking the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Emergency, Bhattacharya accused the central government of suppressing dissent, controlling institutions, and undermining constitutional values.
He described the 2016 demonetisation as an “economic Emergency” imposed without warning, saying it pushed millions into hardship, job loss, and even death, without achieving its stated objectives. “They claimed black money, terrorism, and corruption would end. Instead, ₹2,000 notes were introduced. People suffered, and nothing changed,” he said.
Citing the 2020 farm laws as another example of authoritarian decision-making, he said they were passed in Parliament without debate, triggering a mass farmers’ protest in which over 700 lives were lost. “Just as the Emergency was rolled back in 1977, those laws too had to be withdrawn after public pressure,” he noted.
Bhattacharya alleged that central agencies like ED, CBI, and IT are being used as political weapons against opposition leaders and states that challenge the Union government. He referred to the arrest and custodial death of Father Stan Swamy, a tribal rights activist from Jharkhand, as an example of injustice without trial.
He said press freedom has been reduced to propaganda, with newspapers and TV channels becoming government mouthpieces. “Earlier, newspapers were printed and then sold. Today, the government buys them first, then they’re printed. News channels are sponsored before airing news,” he said, highlighting India’s low global press freedom ranking.
Bhattacharya criticised the BJP-led Centre for turning governance into “a series of events,” referring to the symbolic torch (mashaal) launched from Delhi to mark the Emergency anniversary. “It’s a state-sponsored PR campaign, not a people’s movement,” he said, questioning what the government plans to call November 8 — the day demonetisation was announced.
He also pointed to India’s shrinking global credibility, citing instances of deportations and foreign intervention, adding, “We were once a moral voice in global forums. Now we’re silent and sidelined.”
Rejecting the Union Home Ministry’s advisory asking state governments to mark the Emergency anniversary, Bhattacharya said, “Opposition-ruled states will not obey such Tughlaqi farmans. This country will run on the Constitution, not hypocrisy.”
He concluded by affirming JMM’s commitment to constitutional values and social justice, invoking the legacies of Ambedkar, Gandhi, Netaji, Buddha, Kabir, and Guru Nanak.
