Aapatkal Aakhyan : Indira Gandhi Aur Loktantra Ki Agni Pariksha

An impressive and authoritative study of one of the darkest moments in democratic Indias history, which also sheds light on the global crises looming over democracy in our current times. Sunil Khilnani; Historian, Political Scientist At a time when the world is once again confronting the ravages of authoritarianism, Gyan Prakashs book, Emergency Narrative, takes us back to the period of Indias independence to understand the Emergency (1975-77) in a better historical perspective. This book dispels the myth that the Emergency was a sudden phenomenon, solely caused by the then Prime Ministers lust for power. Conversely, it argues that Indira Gandhi was as responsible for the Emergency as the fragile relationship between Indian democracy and popular politics. This event proved to be a turning point in the history of Indian politics. Gyan Prakash offers a detailed account of the events that unfolded in the years immediately preceding the Emergency, revealing how the unfulfilled promise of democratic change disrupted the delicate balance between state power and civil liberties. How simmering discontent challenged Indira Gandhis authority, and how she used the law as a weapon to suspend legitimate civil liberties. This left lasting scars on Indias political system and opened the door for the rise of caste and Hindu nationalist politics in the near future.