Sonia Gandhi Revisits Emergency Era, Says Indira Later Realised the Decision Was Wrong
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has described the decision to impose the Emergency in India in 1975 as a mistake, saying she believes former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi eventually came to recognise the consequences of her decision.
In interviews ahead of the release of her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, Sonia Gandhi reflected on one of the most controversial periods in India's political history. She discussed the circumstances surrounding the Emergency, differences within the Gandhi family and the role played by senior political figures in influencing the decision.
Her remarks offer a personal account of events that continue to shape political debates in India decades after the Emergency ended in 1977.
Sonia Gandhi said she believed Indira Gandhi was fundamentally democratic but had become uncomfortable with the course taken during the Emergency. According to her, the experience eventually weighed heavily on the former prime minister.
Sonia Gandhi calls Emergency a mistake
In an interview with British newspaper The Guardian, Sonia Gandhi said she believed imposing the Emergency had been a mistake. She also expressed the view that her mother-in-law eventually came to share that understanding.
She described Indira Gandhi as a democrat at heart and suggested that the former prime minister had not been entirely comfortable with the restrictions imposed during the period.
Sonia's comments are significant because the Emergency remains a sensitive subject for the Congress party. The decision was taken by an elected government led by Indira Gandhi, but its implementation resulted in restrictions on fundamental freedoms and widespread political controversy.
Sonia also discussed the political circumstances that surrounded the decision. She recalled that Indira Gandhi was facing mounting opposition, protests and pressure from different sections of the political establishment.
In another interview with The Hindu, Sonia said that looking back allowed her to understand the circumstances more clearly. She also noted that Indira Gandhi later publicly acknowledged the excesses committed during the Emergency and expressed regret.
Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi had different views
One of the notable aspects of Sonia Gandhi's account concerns the disagreement between Indira Gandhi's two sons, Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi, over the decision to impose the Emergency.
According to Sonia's recollection, her husband Rajiv Gandhi opposed the move and advised his mother to wait for the next election rather than suspend normal democratic processes.
Sanjay Gandhi, however, reportedly supported a tougher approach. Sonia said he believed the opposition posed a serious threat to his mother's government and argued that it needed to be stopped.
The disagreement reportedly created tension within the family. Sonia recalled that Rajiv attempted to challenge his mother's decision, but Indira did not accept his advice at the time.
In her memoir, Sonia suggests that keeping Sanjay Gandhi's influence under control could have prevented much of the damage that followed the Emergency.
However, she also cautioned against attributing the entire episode to one individual. In her interview with The Hindu, she pointed out that several senior colleagues placed pressure on Indira Gandhi and that only a limited number of people, including Rajiv, offered a different perspective.
Her account therefore presents the Emergency as a decision influenced by a wider political environment, rather than solely by one family member.
What happened during the 1975 Emergency?
The Emergency was imposed shortly before midnight on June 25, 1975, when Indira Gandhi was serving as India's prime minister.
President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed issued the proclamation under Article 352 of the Constitution, following the recommendation of the prime minister. The government cited internal disturbances as the basis for the declaration.
The decision came amid growing political unrest, opposition protests and a major legal setback for Indira Gandhi. The Allahabad High Court had set aside her election from Rae Bareli, intensifying the political crisis surrounding her leadership.
During the Emergency, civil liberties were severely restricted, press censorship was introduced and opposition leaders were detained. The suspension of habeas corpus also became one of the most controversial legal consequences of the period.
Sanjay Gandhi became a prominent and controversial figure during these years. His involvement in population-control campaigns and urban clearance programmes attracted widespread criticism, particularly over allegations of forced sterilisation and coercive demolitions.
The Emergency lasted for nearly 21 months. On January 18, 1977, Indira Gandhi announced fresh parliamentary elections and released political prisoners. Her party subsequently suffered a major defeat, and the Emergency officially ended on March 21, 1977.
Indira Gandhi's later response
Sonia Gandhi also referred to the steps Indira Gandhi took towards restoring the democratic process.
She noted that Indira eventually called elections and allowed political competition to resume. According to Sonia, the former prime minister later publicly expressed regret and apologised for excesses committed during the Emergency.
Sonia said she only understood the full extent of what had happened after the Emergency ended. She acknowledged that democratic rights had been curtailed and that habeas corpus protections had been suspended, while also explaining the political circumstances as she understood them.
These remarks reflect Sonia's personal interpretation of Indira Gandhi's thinking and should be distinguished from the documented historical record of the period.
Memoir brings family and political history into focus
Sonia Gandhi's upcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, is scheduled for release on November 10, 2026. The book discusses her personal journey, marriage to Rajiv Gandhi, life within the Nehru-Gandhi family and her eventual involvement in Indian politics.
Her recent interviews have also touched on other significant events, including the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992 and the Congress party's political challenges in subsequent decades.
She acknowledged that her own party had, in some ways, been complacent, contributing to the political circumstances in which the BJP expanded its influence.
The Emergency, meanwhile, remains an important subject in contemporary political debates. The BJP frequently invokes the period to criticise the Congress over democratic rights and constitutional institutions. Congress leaders have acknowledged the excesses while also discussing the circumstances that led to the decision.
Sonia Gandhi's latest remarks add another personal account to this continuing discussion. Her assessment does not change the historical record, but it provides insight into how a member of the Gandhi family remembers the political and personal divisions surrounding the Emergency.
As the memoir approaches publication, her reflections are likely to bring renewed attention to the decisions, personalities and consequences associated with one of the most consequential chapters in India's democratic history.