Lalu justifies Emergency, 'It produced leaders like me'

Varanasi, Apr 25 (UNI) Justifying the imposition of emergency in 1975, Railway Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad today said ''it was necessary for curbing indiscipline in the country and creating national leaders like me.'' ''Oos samay desh mein karai ki zaroorat thi is liye emergency lagayi gayi'' (imposition of emergency was essential to curb indiscipline in the country at that time), Mr Prasad said while addressing a press conference here.

''Indiscipline like recent utterances by Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackarey against President A P J Abdul Kalam can be curbed through emergency only,'' he added.

Asked if emergency could be imposed again in future, he said ''dubara emergency ki zaroorat paregi to kyo nahi hoga'' (if need arose emergency could be imposed again).

Adding in the same vein, Mr Prasad said if emergency had not have been imposed he could not have become a leader. ''Agar Emergency nahi hoti to hum neta bante kya.'' Mr Prasad, who was jailed during the emergency dropped another bombshell by saying he was the author of the complete revolution which is generally credited to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan.

''Uske Main Admi hum thay... mai us samay student union ka president thaa aur maine hi baad main J P ko woh naujawano ka movement de diya thaa'' (It was me not J P who authored that movement of youths. As the president of student union I handed over the movement to J P later), Mr Prasad claimed.

Elaborating his justification of emergency further, Mr Prasad said ''emergency has produced many leaders including me who are presently ruling the roost. Even those presently ruling Bihar were born out of emergency.'' ''Aaj jo log Bihar chala rahein hai woh bhi usi emergenciye se nikle hain,'' he remarked.

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