New Delhi: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said the imposition of the Emergency in 1975 was the reason behind him joining politics.
Addressing the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards here, Gadkari said he cannot forget the two-year struggle the nation had waged against the imposition of the Emergency when several of his family members too were sent to jail.
He said Ramnath Goenka, the founder of The Indian Express newspaper, also had to pay a big price for opposing the Emergency.
“Ramnath Goenka kept his commitment to democracy and kept on his struggle... many had to pay the price... many families had to pay the price,” Gadkari said, recalling his meeting with the newspaper baron in the company of RSS stalwart Nanaji Deshmukh.
He hailed Goenka’s leadership during the Emergency, saying the media baron never wavered from his principles.