The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday defended the Delhi Police action against Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protesters and rejected the Opposition’s charge of an ‘undeclared Emergency’.
BJP MP and spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi compared the current restrictions on protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation with the curbs imposed during the Emergency from 1975 to 1977.
Trivedi said the current generation did not fully understand the severity of the Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He argued that setting up barricades within a one-kilometre radius did not amount to the restrictions people faced during that period.
Trivedi said people can freely criticise PM Modi today, unlike during Indira Gandhi’s Emergency, when public criticism could lead to jail under the Defence of India Rules. His remarks came amid Opposition criticism of the CJP protest crackdown.
Delhi Police recently withdrew Jantar Mantar’s status as a designated protest venue and identified Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as alternative locations for demonstrations.
Trivedi defended the government’s broader record, pointing to India’s economic growth and technological progress. He said the country had maintained a growth rate of around 7–7.8 per cent and remained among the fastest-growing major economies.
The BJP spokesperson highlighted India’s position in digital transactions, arguing that the country had made significant progress in modern technology and economic development.
The Opposition’s ‘undeclared Emergency’ allegation has brought renewed attention to the balance between public order, protest restrictions and the right to demonstrate.
Trivedi rejected the comparison with the Emergency era, arguing that the two situations differed significantly in the freedoms available to citizens.
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