Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar
LUCKNOW: Remembering the Emergency imposed in the country in 1975, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Wednesday that in any circumstances such a day will not be witnessed in the country now.
Addressing the golden jubilee celebrations of Central Electronics Limited (CEL) in Ghaziabad district, Dhankhar said, "The country has never seen dense black clouds, which this day saw (in 1975). The biggest democracy of the world had gone in the dark in 1975. In any circumstances, India will not see such a day.
"We are strong. The foundation of Indian democracy has become so strong that there is democracy in villages, Nagar Palika and districts," he said.
On June 25, 1975, at midnight, the then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed declared a state of Emergency in India following advice from the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
Dhankhar, who reached the CEL campus and planted a sapling first, said as Rajya Sabha Chairperson he has asked the MPs to plant 100 saplings.
"I follow this. I remember the prime minister on an occasion when I was planting a sapling here that 'Ma ke naam ek ped' (A sapling in the name of mother) should be our mission because it will impact our lives," he said.
Hailing the work of CEL officials and employees, he said, "The world is changing very fast. We are on the cusp of another industrial revolution.
"It is required of us to focus incrementally on technological innovations. You are part of it and will move ahead in this regard," the vice president said.