Bengaluru, 24 June

State BJP workers protested on the 49th anniversary of 1975 Emergency imposed by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi, at Freedom Park in the City, on Monday.

BJP leaders also demanded a formal apology from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for an "illegal and unconstitutional" act.

Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly R Ashoka demanded that Rahul should publicly apologise at Ramlila Maidan for the actions of his grandmother.

Reflecting on his personal experience during the Emergency, Ashoka said, "I was a first-year PUC student at VV Puram College when I participated in an RSS-led protest at Yeshwanthpur Circle against Indira Gandhi. For shouting a couple of slogans, the police arrested and tortured me. My family had to go into hiding. I was detained for a month in Freedom Park jail, where the conditions were dire, with one toilet for 200 people and insufficient food. These experiences remain vivid in my memory. They overrode the judiciary, detained journalists and prominent leaders such as LK Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee."

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared that the Constitution is as sacred as Bhagavad Gita to BJP, but Congress has repeatedly tampered with it,” Ashok added.

Former minister, CN Ashwath Narayan echoed similar sentiments. "Congress is known for being anti-constitutional. They have been 'anti-Ambedkar'. They amended all the articles to protect their interests and do not stand for the protection of the Constitution," he stated.

The protesters were detained by the police to maintain public order. -Salar News