Remember Emergency when India was locked by people for selfishness: Irani

There could not have been a more unfortunate time, such people wanted that India should always remain under British and if it does not remain under the British, then India should remain weak, she said

Union minister Smriti Irani on Saturday said India was locked behind bars of Emergency by "some people for their selfishness" and everyone needs to remember this.

She said this during an address at the Manishi Mahila Mahavidyalaya here while on a visit to her parliamentary constituency.

"We remember the day when ordinary India was put behind bars of Emergency, therefore we all need to be alert.

"It is time for everyone to remember that some people had divided the country for their own selfishness. There could not have been a more unfortunate time, such people wanted that India should always remain under the British and if it does not remain under the British, then India should remain weak," Irani claimed.

She also said every citizen of the country should have the right to hoist the tricolour at his or her home.

Every son of the country is no less than Bhagat Singh and every daughter no less than Rani Laxmibai on the subject of respecting and protecting the tricolour, she said.

Irani also offered floral tributes at a statue of B R Ambedkar and flagged off a motorcycle tricolour yatra from Ramlila Maidan and joined it by driving a scooty.