Launched in New Delhi on 25 June, Samvidhan Hatya Diwas, the book release was part of a larger effort to commemorate the Emergency’s 50th anniversary and reinforce democratic awareness among India’s youth. Shah flagged off the ‘Loktantra Zindabad Yatra’, aimed at spreading awareness of constitutional values and democratic rights across the nation.
Shah emphasised that the Emergency represented an attempt to revive “parivarwaad” or dynastic politics, effectively turning the country into a prison. He portrayed Modi’s underground resistance as the beginning of a journey that culminated in uprooting such dynastic dominance in 2014. Shah underscored the significance of remembering that era, warning that the memories of subversion and suppression must endure so that no one ever again contemplates authoritarian impulses.
The memoir reconstructs those 19 months via anecdotes from associates and archival material, detailing propaganda efforts, clandestine media distribution, and community outreach by Modi during the Emergency. A parallel account from Wikipedia confirms that Modi, as general secretary of the Gujarat Lok Sangharsh Samiti, coordinated anti‑Emergency efforts, travelled in disguise to evade arrest, organised pamphlet printing, safe houses, and aid for political activists, while also authoring a book in Gujarati about the period titled Sangharsh Ma Gujarat.
The book comprises five chapters, each delving into different dimensions of the Emergency: media censorship, government repression, the struggle of Sangh and Jan Sangh networks, the experiences of Emergency victims, and the journey from dictatorship towards public participation.
The release also initiated widespread discourse elsewhere. In Itanagar, Kaling Moyong, BJP state president of Arunachal Pradesh, launched the memoir at a state-level event, describing it as both a historical account and a tribute to the resilience and conviction of those who defied authoritarianism during that dark chapter.
By placing this personal narrative within the broader historical context of democratic resistance, the memoir seeks to underscore how formative trials shaped current leadership. The interwoven stories of underground activism, secret activism networks, and emerging democratic consciousness illustrate how crisis periods often help define both individual resolve and national trajectories.