Lalu, Akhilesh remain silent on 50 years of Emergency

On the 50th year of ‘1975 Emergency’, while BJP and NDA allies attacked the Congress, leaders like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav chose to be silent. This is striking, as both leaders emerged from the anti-Emergency movement led by Jayaprakash Narayan. The likely reason behind their silence could be political compulsion. Both the RJD and Samajwadi Party are part of opposition alliances with Congress—RJD in Bihar’s Mahagathbandhan and SP in the INDIA bloc. Leaders feared criticizing Congress could weaken their unity ahead of upcoming elections.