Prohibit Dev Anand Films: What are the DD days PM recalled to the Congress?

In order to remind Congress the dark days of the emergency imposed by the government led by Indira Gandhi in 1975 and how freedom of expression was trampled on, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled that the movies of actor Dev Anand were prohibited Diffusion on Doordarshan (DD) during this period because it did not approve the dictatorial regime.

Modi also recalled how actor Balraj Sahani and the Parolier Majrooh Sultanpuri were arrested during the Prime Minister of Jawaharlal Nehru.

During the emergency in the mid -1970s, the Doordarshan State broadcaster was the only television channel. The chain held and operated by the Ministry of Information and Diffusion served as the only source of entertainment and news for a few thousand people who could afford a television.

In 1975, only seven cities in India had access to Doordarshan programs. During the emergency, Doordarshan was used to propagate government messages.

“Dev Anand Ji was invited to publicly support the urgency. He completely refused to approve the urgency and showed great courage. To the president.

Majrooh Sultanpuri was arrested in 1951 for having recited an anti-Nehru poem during a hustle and bustle of workers in Mumbai and spent a year at Arthur Road Prison after refusing to apologize. Balraj Sahni was imprisoned for six months in 1949 to incite violence during a procession of the Communist Party. Jawaharlal Nehru was then the Prime Minister of India.

Kishore Kumar, Dilip Kumar faced the anger of Indira Gandhi

As Modi pointed out, the ban on Dev Anand films during the emergency was one of the many measures taken by the government led by Indira Gandhi to slow down freedoms. During this period, while certain films were prohibited from being broadcast, the songs of Kishore Kumar were faced with government censorship. The actor Dilip Kumar was also at the end of reception.

The fight and the repercussions with the government were revealed by Dev Anand in its autobiography, a novelist with life.

“The pro-urgency lobby applied a strict discipline among the masses and the rank and file of the functions of the government through certain legislative measures. It did a lot of good for the country. But, the fact was that the soul of the People smoked, their mind muffled by an iron fist, “said Dev Anand in his 2011 book.

Dev Anand, in his book, recalled that he attended an event organized by the government in Delhi alongside Dilip Kumar, where he felt that the party was aimed at improving the image of Sanjay Gandhi.

Sanjay Gandhi, the youngest son of Indira Gandhi, was considered the related heir. He was also at the forefront of emergency, especially The infamous mass sterilization. He was described as the “head of the nation”.

Why was Dev Anand was targeted by Indira Gandhi

However, said Dev Anand, he refused to comply.

“Dilip (Kumar) also hesitated to go to the television center to participate in any propaganda in favor of the emergency. I opposed with vehemence and noisy to suggestion,” said Dev Anand. He described his decision as a “call of conscience”.

This was to attract the anger of the government.

“Not only have all my photos prohibited from being projected on television, but also any mention or reference to my name in the official media has been prohibited,” added Dev Anand.

With the movies of Dev Anand prohibited, he was invited to publicly support the Indira Gandhi government. It was warned to deal with consequences if he did not.

Dev Anand launched his political party

After the end of the emergency in 1977, Dev Anand supported the newly formed Janata party, led by Morarji Desai. When the 1977 Lok Sabha elections were announced, Ram Jethmalani urged Dev Anand to join the Janata Party and his campaign against Indira Gandhi and his son, Sanjay.

Dev Anand was taken in a dilemma.

Later, he decided to launch his own political outfit, the national party. However, the party was dissolved in a few months.

In the end, while the passage from Dev Anand to politics was short -lived, its challenge of the Indira Gandhi regime and the emergency lives to date. This is what Prime Minister Modi recalled while highlighting the importance of freedom of expression in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.