‘The Emergency Diaries’ chronicles my journey during Emergency: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he was glad that his experiences during the anti-Emergency movement have been compiled into a new book titled ‘The Emergency Diaries — Years that Forged a Leader’, which will be released by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency’s imposition.

The book, published by Bluekraft Digital Foundation, explores Narendra Modi’s journey as a young Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak during one of India’s most turbulent political periods.

It sheds light on how he evaded the police, worked underground, and took part in the covert resistance to what has been described as a draconian crackdown on civil liberties and democratic institutions under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s rule from 1975 to 1977.

Taking to X on Wednesday, PM Modi wrote, “When the Emergency was imposed, I was a young RSS Pracharak. The anti-Emergency movement was a learning experience for me. It reaffirmed the vitality of preserving our democratic framework. At the same time, I got to learn so much from people across the political spectrum.”

“I am glad that BlueKraft Digital Foundation has compiled some of those experiences in the form of a book, whose foreword has been penned by Shri H.D. Deve Gowda Ji, himself a stalwart of the anti-Emergency movement,” he added.

“‘The Emergency Diaries’ chronicles my journey during the Emergency years. It brought back many memories from that time,” PM Modi said.

“I call upon all those who remember those dark days of the Emergency or those whose families suffered during that time to share their experiences on social media. It will create awareness among the youth of the shameful time from 1975 to 1977,” he added.

The publishers announced that the book offers a deep dive into the “compelling role that Narendra Modi, then a young RSS Pracharak, played in the fight against Emergency.”

Drawing on first-person accounts from his close associates, archival material, and PM Modi’s own memoir ‘Sangharsh Ma Gujarat’, the narrative seeks to bring forth a rare window into how India’s future leader was shaped by those dark days of state repression.

Bluekraft shared on X, “The book delves into the compelling role that Narendra Modi played in the fight against Emergency. Based on first-person anecdotes from associates who worked with young Modi, and using other archival material, the book is a first of its kind that creates new scholarship on the formative years of a young man who would give it his all in the fight against tyranny.”

“The Emergency Diaries paints a vivid picture of Narendra Modi fighting for the ideals of democracy and how he has worked all his life to preserve and promote it. This book is a tribute to the grit and resolve of those who refused to be silenced, and it offers a rare glimpse into the early trials that forged one of the most transformative leaders of our time,” it added.

The book’s introduction paints the backdrop of the Emergency years in stark terms. “In the mid-1970s, as India was caught in the iron shackles of the Emergency, democracy was in captivity,” it reads.

It presents Narendra Modi as part of a covert network resisting the regime, working to distribute banned literature, organise underground meetings, and sustain public morale amidst widespread censorship and fear.

According to the publishers, The Emergency Diaries highlights PM Modi’s “clandestine operations, his narrow escapes, and his unwavering commitment to restoring democracy as he navigates through a landscape of fear and repression”.

The book is described as a “tale of resilience, ingenuity, and relentless dedication to preserving democratic ideals and institutions enshrined in our Constitution”.

It underscores how, according to the narrative, “the resolve of the masses, led by diligent young karyakartas like Modi, shaped one of the most important movements that reshaped a nation’s destiny.”

IANS