Protecting secular, democratic fabric as important as defending borders: Parkash Singh Badal

In a statement on the 45th anniversary of the imposition of the Emergency, former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had said that "safeguarding the secular and democratic fabric of the country is as important as defending its borders."

"The country's internal and external health are equally important and interdependent," he added.

The five times chief Minister also cautioned people against taking democracy and secularism for granted.

"It would be a mistake to believe that what happened in 1975 can never happen again. We saw then how easy it is for a dictatorial leader to trample on the constitution. Democracy is not a mere provision in the Constitution but an expression of the collective will, dreams and aspirations of the people," he said.

( With inputs from ANI )