Original Gujarati OCR
during my own visits to Gujarat in those eventful pre-Emergency
times, the excitement among young agitators and their urge to
bring about an all-round socio-political change.
Gujarat continued to be in the forefront of the struggle
against Emergency and it is heartening that one of the main
activists in the struggle, Shri Narendra Modi, has penned the
narrative of the battle for democracy and its eventual victory. The
publication of this book in its third edition testifies to its
continuing relevance and popularity.
After the passage of a quarter century, Emergency has
become a distant memory to many Indians. To young people who
are born after 1975, it is not even a personal experience.
Therefore, if we still recall this dark chapter in India's post-
Independence history, the only justification for it can be our
resolve to defend our cherished democratic system at all costs.
The people of the country, especially its political class, must learn
the right lessons from this dangerous deviation from the
Constitutional order and pledge never again to let it happen. For
this, we need to collectively strengthen the fundamental values
that nourish and sustain our democratic system. Above all, the
supremacy of the interests of the nation over those of any
individual, however tall, and any party, however powerful, must
be accepted to be sacrosanct.
I congratulate Shri Modi for enabling the readers of this
book to revisit the Emergency and re-dedicate themselves to the
cause of strengthening India's democratic ethos and system.
જન્ય
(A. B. Vajpayee)
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