'I did not get parole for my mother's funeral': Rajnath Singh recalls emergency as he slams opposition

Speaking exclusively to news agency ANI, Singh slammed the opposition for making "allegations of dictatorship against us... (when they should) look within",

In an emotional conversation, Singh revealed that he was only 24 years old and had just been married when the police arrived at his home late one night to take him into custody.

'"I returned home after working the whole day (and) was told the police had come. They told me there is a warrant... it was around midnight when I was taken to jail and kept in solitary confinement," he recounted.

Singh said that a year later while he was still in jail, his mother "suffered a brain haemorrhage" after being told the Emergency had been extended by another year.

"... she was in hospital for 27 days and then died. I could not come... I did not get released... did not get parole. I got my head shaved in the jail and the funeral was performed by my brothers I could not reach..." he added.

The Emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Congress government has often been used by the BJP to launch political attacks.

In June last year Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the 48th anniversary of that period, said the 21 months were an "unforgettable period" that was "totally opposite" to the Constitution.

"I pay homage to all those courageous people who resisted the Emergency...  'dark days of emergency' remain an unforgettable period in our history, totally opposite to the values our Constitution celebrates," the PM - who has been accused by the opposition of imposing an "undeclared emergency", said.