Shashi Tharoor invokes Modi’s 2015 Emergency remarks to slam ‘war-like’ Delhi security, says Gen Z deserves better

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor hit out at the Narendra Modi-led Union government claiming that Delhi witnessed ‘war-like deployment’ during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest on Satuday. Tharoor, a parliamentarian, said GenZ deserved better than an 'undeclared' Emergency.

Tharoor also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2015 post about the Emergency and said, "Thanks for teaching today's youngsters many of the same lessons, Modiji!"

In the June 2015 post, PM Modi had said how personally, the Emergency brought back many memories." As youngsters, we learnt a lot during the anti-Emergency movement," he had said.

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Tharoor described Delhi’s security deployment as “war-like” and said Gen Z deserved better than what he called an “undeclared EmerGenZ.” He criticised the checkpoints, barriers, detentions and internet suspension.

Tharoor tagged Modi’s post recalling lessons from the anti-Emergency movement. He used the reference to compare the 1975–77 Emergency’s authoritarian associations with what he viewed as restrictions on young people’s political expression.

The CJP-led protest sought the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. It was linked to concerns raised by critics about the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Police denied permission for the proposed Jantar Mantar demonstration, citing security considerations and procedural requirements. Authorities deployed police and paramilitary personnel, set up barriers and detained protesters.

Tharoor said the government should provide answers rather than use lathis, and allow expression instead of repression. He argued that answering questions about the elections could help restore public confidence and calm.

In another post, Tharoor wrote, “As I said this morning, our GenZ deserves better than an undeclared EmerGenZ,”

The Emergency in India was a 21 month period from 1975 to 1977 when prime minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency across India by citing internal and external threats to the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top leaders of the BJP have often used Emergency to target the Congress party.

June 25, 2025, marked the 50th anniversary of the imposition of the 1975 Emergency. The Modi government marks the day as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ to remember the victims and the suspension of constitutional rights during the 21-month Emergency period.

By combining 'Emergency' with ‘Gen Z’, Tharoor invoked the authoritarian associations of the 1975–77 Emergency while suggesting that young Indians are confronting restrictions on their political expression today.

Thousands detained by Delhi Police

Delhi Police on Saturday detained more than 4,000 protesters and the leaders Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) as security forces locked down parts of the capital to thwart a rally demanding the resignation of India's election chief.

Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across the city, mobile internet services were suspended in the central business district and dozens of metro stations and markets were shut as authorities moved to stop a demonstration organised by the CJP-led movement.

The protest was aimed at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a revision of voter lists that critics say disproportionately benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The movement had planned to gather thousands of people at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi, but the area was sealed off by security forces before the demonstration began.

Govt should provide answers: Tharoor

In an earlier post, Tharoor said the government should provide answers, not lathis; expression, not repression.

Tharoor, who was in Berlin this week, said he returned to the national capital after 2 am and has rarely seen anything like what Delhi is witnessing now.

"Checkpoints every few hundred metres, concrete barriers and spike strips laid across our roads, a "war-like" deployment of 22,000 police and paramilitary across the city, 250 trains cancelled and 45 metro stations closed, and reports of young people being detained from their own homes and the streets in and around Delhi - all to prevent citizens from peacefully raising questions about the integrity of our elections," he said on X.

"Most regressive (as well as repressive) is the suspension of the internet in the heart of the national capital," the former Union minister said.

Freedom of movement stands completely shackled, he added.

Jantar Mantar was designated precisely so that citizens could voice dissent in the centre of Delhi, and today even the roads leading to it have been declared out of bounds, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.

"One is entitled to ask where this extraordinary manpower and urgency disappear when women in our capital need protection," Tharoor said.

A government confident in the fairness of its elections would welcome questions about them, whereas one that turns its capital into a fortress to avoid them only deepens the very suspicions it seeks to suppress, he said.

"The government should provide answers, not lathis; expression, not repression," Tharoor asserted.

Barricades will do nothing to restore faith in the Election Commission, and the sooner it answers the public's questions, the sooner calm will be restored, he said.

"The strength of a democracy is measured by how it treats those who question its working, and by that measure, what we have seen today is utterly shameful and unconscionable," Tharoor said.

The Jantar Mantar protest had prompted heightened security measures in the national capital, with police maintaining a strict vigil to prevent any breach of peace.

Delhi Police had denied permission to the CJP to hold its proposed demonstration at Jantar Mantar, citing security considerations and procedural requirements.

(With agency inputs)

About the Author

Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.