Former Indian Prime Minister Morarji Desai told a crowd in Assam that citizens must become too powerful for any government to suppress them.
The speech highlights the political reaction to the Emergency period, a time of suspended civil liberties that shaped India's democratic discourse. By advocating for a fearless citizenry, Desai sought to ensure that the state could not return to authoritarian control.
Desai delivered the address in 1978 [1] during an election rally for the Janata Party. The event took place ahead of the Assam Assembly elections, where he focused on the need to mobilize voters against the excesses of the previous administration.
During the rally, Desai spoke about the necessity of individual empowerment to prevent government overreach. "We want to make people so powerful that no govt dares to suppress them," Desai said [1].
Beyond the empowerment of the general public, the former prime minister addressed the critical role of the media in a functioning democracy. He argued that the press serves as a necessary check on power, even when its reporting is uncomfortable for those in office.
"It's the press' business to annoy govt when govt deserves to be annoyed," Desai said [2].
This stance positioned the Janata Party as a defender of civil liberties, and press freedom. The rhetoric was designed to contrast the party's platform with the censorship and restrictions that characterized the Emergency era. By framing the press as a tool for accountability, Desai emphasized that government annoyance is often a sign of effective journalistic oversight.
“We want to make people so powerful that no govt dares to suppress them.”
This historical address reflects the post-Emergency effort to institutionalize democratic safeguards in India. By explicitly linking the power of the individual and the freedom of the press to the prevention of state suppression, Desai's rhetoric underscored a shift toward a more adversarial and transparent relationship between the Indian government and its citizens.
