Tharoor did not shy away from criticising the judiciary’s complicity and the media’s cowardice during the period.
Published Jul 10, 2025 | 1:53 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 10, 2025 | 1:53 PM
Shashi Tharoor.
Synopsis: Shashi Tharoor’s evolving stance on the 1975 Emergency—from calling it constitutional but undemocratic to recently describing it as a time when “the soul of the republic” was compromised—has reignited internal unease within Congress. His sharp critique of executive overreach, media suppression, and democratic fragility has renewed scrutiny of the party’s past, complicating its present-day political messaging.
Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor’s evolving stance on the 1975 Emergency has reignited debate within Congress, as the senior Congress leader now calls it a time when “the soul of the republic” was compromised.
Though previously describing the Emergency as undemocratic but constitutional, Tharoor’s recent piece for Project Syndicate sharply underscores its lasting damage and the fragility of democratic institutions.
Tharoor described the 21-month Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as a “vivid demonstration of how fragile democratic institutions can be,” warning that its lessons remain alarmingly relevant today.
While Congress officially maintains a defensive distance from the Emergency years, Tharoor’s candid assessment has renewed scrutiny over the party’s historical baggage.
About an year back, in June 2024, Tharoor had a slightly different view on the Emergency.
Stating that he is a critic of the action, in an interview with NDTV, Tharoor said, that while imposing Emergency may have been undemocratic, it was not unconstitutional.
He said, “I am a critic of the Emergency, but the very fact is that the Emergency may have been undemocratic, but it was not unconstitutional. It was a provision in the Constitution that permitted the imposition of an internal emergency. That provision has since been removed. But it was there at the time and therefore what was done by the government in 1975 was strictly within the boundaries of the Constitution.”
During the same time, responding to President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint session of Parliament, where she criticised and called the Emergency unconstitutional, Tharoor said, that instead of mentioning Emergency, current issues affecting the country should have been included in the address. “There was no logic in talking about Emergency in the address after 49 years. She should have spoken about today’s issues,” he added.
It’s a bit bizarre to declare a date as “Samvidhan Hatya Divas”. First, the Samvidhan is alive and well and strongly supported by the electorate. No hatya has occurred. Second, what happened on that date was entirely in accordance with the provisions of the Samvidhan. It was… https://t.co/Zw263jf9OD
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 12, 2024
Even in June this year, on the 50th anniversary of Emergency, Tharoor acknowledged it as “a dark chapter in our history marked by the suspension of key freedoms,” while noting that even then–Prime Minister Indira Gandhi eventually chose to call for elections and accepted the results with grace.
“This anniversary should serve as a moment for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to the Constitution, to the principles of liberty, and to the values our founding leaders fought to uphold,” Tharoor said. “Rather than turning this occasion into a political battleground, I hope we use it as an opportunity to recommit ourselves to those fundamental ideals.”
In 2019, claiming that space for dissent in politics has shrunk dramatically, Tharoor remarked that, “Except during the Emergency, Indian media never saw this degree of self-censorship. It is devastating for the Indian democracy as there is no democracy without dissent.”
In an other instance, sharing how the 1975 Emergency deeply shaped his career path on his website, Tharoor said, though initially inclined toward India’s elite civil services, the suspension of democratic freedoms during the Emergency disillusioned him.
Recalling the time, he added that while studying in the US, he became increasingly aware of the regime’s repression, particularly against ordinary citizens. A passport denial to a dissenting student marked a turning point, prompting Tharoor to abandon plans for government service.
Instead, he pursued a Ph.D. and joined the United Nations, choosing not to serve a system he felt had betrayed democratic values — a decision he acknowledges was right for him, though not necessarily for all.
The recent opinion piece highlights how fundamental rights were suspended, the press muzzled, and dissent brutally crushed under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s government — painting a grim picture of unchecked executive overreach.
Notably, Tharoor did not shy away from criticising the judiciary’s complicity and the media’s cowardice during the period.
He pointedly remarked that the “overweening executive” backed by a legislative majority can pose grave dangers to democracy, a comment seen by many as a veiled critique of contemporary politics as well.
At one point he stated, “the period’s ‘excesses’ caused deep and lasting harm to countless lives, leaving a legacy of trauma and mistrust in affected communities – which they demonstrated by overwhelmingly voting Gandhi and her party out of power in the first free elections after the Emergency was lifted, in March 1977.”
This isn’t the first time Tharoor’s remarks on the Emergency have unsettled the Congress brass.
Party insiders admit that while Congress has officially acknowledged its mistakes, public reminders from within continue to complicate its political messaging.
As the 50th anniversary of the Emergency declaration passed on 25 June, Tharoor’s piece has reignited debates the party would rather leave behind.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
