I never supported Emergency: Lalu Prasad

New Delhi, Apr 26 (UNI) Railway Minister Lalu Prasad today denied that he had ever supported the Emergency imposed in the country in 1975 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, saying media had distorted his statement.

Talking to newspersons, the RJD leader said he had never told the press conference at Varanasi yesterday that imposition of emergency was a right decision and he was a product of emergency.

He said in fact he had participated in the Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan led revolution and the students agitation against the emergency, undergoing several hardships.

Later even the Congress and Mrs Gandhi had also accepted that the imposition of emergency was a mistake and this was the reason that the Janata Party had come to power. Mr Jaya Prakash had emerged the biggest leader of the country because of the anti-emergency agitation, he said.

Mr Yadav said emergency could only be imposed in the event of a total collapse of the democratic system in the country. ''Otherwise it had no role in a democracy,'' he added.

UNI