The book, ‘The Emergency Diaries: Years that Forged a Leader’, chronicles the journey of how a young Narendra Modi contributed to the struggle during the turbulent Emergency era
The book, The Emergency Diaries: Years that Forged a Leader, describes how Prime Minister Narendra Modi managed to organised a number of clandestine meetings for the RSS, which was operating in secret during the Emergency.
The book was released on Wednesday, marking 50 years of Emergency, by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Published by BlueKraft Digital Foundation, it chronicles the journey of how a young Narendra Modi contributed to the struggle during the turbulent Emergency era – a dark period in India’s history when democracy stood suspended and resistance was both dangerous and essential.
In some excerpts of the book, it has been mentioned how the clandestine meetings of the Sangh were typically held at the homes of karyakartas. Modi meticulously selected the locations, ensuring that each house had a clear escape strategy in case of a police raid.
“I recall an incident from the Emergency days. The Sangh was operating secretly, and meetings were organised under the guise of Chandan ka Karyakram. We would inform each other about a Chandan ka Karyakram at a swayamsevak’s home, which meant gathering to plan Sangh activities over breakfast. Modi introduced us to these terms,” Nagar Bhai Chavda, a longtime volunteer of the Sangh, shares in the book.
According to an excerpt from the book, Modi instructed karyakartas on the necessary action during such raids, highlighting his thorough planning for any situation. For example, he would only stay in houses with two or more exit routes.
“My house had two doors, one at the front and another opening into the field. If the police ever came searching, Modi would exit through the back door unnoticed,” Prabhakar Vyas, recalling an incident from those days, is quoted in the book.
Piyush Gandhi, a retired government lawyer from Godhra, witnessed Modi’s attention to detail.
“During a secret meeting at a house with Modi present, the police received a tip-off and arrived. The host was anxious, but Modi remained calm and reassured everyone that the house was chosen carefully. He explained, ‘This house has four doors, so even if the police come through one or two, we can easily escape.’ One of the doors conveniently led to the local Sangh office,” Prabhakar Vyas, recalling an incident from those days, was quoted.
Prakash Mehta, another Sangh worker from Gujarat, said Modi would arrive at unusual hours of the morning and night. He confirmed that he was included in every secret Sangh meeting at his house during the Emergency.
