Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that no Indian would ever forget how the spirit of the Constitution was violated during the Emergency. He reiterated his government’s commitment to strengthen constitutional principles.
In a series of posts on X on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, Modi said that it was one of the most dark chapters in India’s democratic history.
He said that the values inherent in the constitution were sidelined, fundamental rights were suspended, the freedom of the press was abolished and a large number of political leaders, social workers, students and common citizens were imprisoned.
The Prime Minister said, “It seemed as if the Congress government, who was in power at that time, took democracy hostage.”
The Modi government announced last year that the anniversary of the Emergency would be celebrated as “Constitution Hurry Day”. He said that the 42nd amendment, which had made extensive changes in the constitution and which was canceled by the Janata Party government, is a prime example of the tricks of the Congress government that imposed emergency.
He said that the poor, marginalized people and Dalits were specially targeted and their dignity was insulted. Modi said, “We also repeat our commitment to strengthen our constitution principles and to realize our views of developed India. We touch the new heights of progress and fulfill the dreams of the poor and Dalits.”
Saluting every person standing firm in the fight against the Emergency, the Prime Minister said that these were the people of India, from all areas, from various ideologies, who worked together with each other: protecting India’s democratic fabric and preserving the ideals for which freedom fighters devoted their lives.
He said, “This was his collective struggle that ensured that the then Congress government had to restore democracy and hold new elections, in which they lost badly.”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in the post on X, “This day tells us that when the power becomes dictatorial, the public has the power to overthrow it,” he wrote on X in Hindi. Emergency was not a national requirement, but it was a reflection of the “anti -democracy mentality” of the Congress and a person. Freedom of the press was crushed, the judiciary’s hands were tied and social workers were jailed. The countrymen raised the slogan of ’empty the throne’ and overthrew the dictator Congress. A tribute to all the heroes who sacrificed their lives in this struggle. “
The Bharatiya Janata Party wrote in the post on X, “The voice of the opposition was crushed, the freedom of expression was held in the chains of censorship, The rights of the countrymen were taken away and democracy was strangled … Emergency imposed on the country on 25 June 1975 for power only for power.
Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda and Bharatiya Janata Party President said in their own video posted on X, “India is the oldest and largest democratic country in the world. Some incidents have taken place in which the country has tried to tamper with the original soul of the Constitution. The country watches it as a black chapter of democracy. Today, the Prime Minister of Congress Indira Gandhi announced the end of democracy, but it was not a democracy. There was a direct attack. On 25 June 1975, the then PM Indira Gandhi made an excuse for ‘internal disturbance’ to impose an emergency and killed the constitution.
Nadda said, “In 1975, the High Court found that Indira Gandhi had violated the Constitution and banned them from elections for six years. But the freedom of the press was curbed overnight, the opposition was put in jail, Article 352 was misused and democracy was destroyed.”
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar wrote on X, “On the Constitution Day, we remember a painful chapter in the history of independent India when the institutions were weakened, the rights were suspended and the accountability was kept aside.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that the Emergency was a conspiracy of a family that was intoxicated by power and it was proof of the tyrannical and cruel mentality of the Congress, which killed the constitution and handed over the emergency to the country. Piyush Goyal’s X post said, “25 June 1975, a family intoxicated by power to trample the constitution and the evidence of the cruel, tyrannical mentality of the Congress which handed over the whole country to death by killing democracy.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on X, “Emergency … due to the combination of mosaic of laws, violations of judicial freedom and disregard of rule of law. For those in the Congress, for those whose hands have a copy of our constitution – 50 years later, India remembers that atrocities.”
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal wrote on X, “The day of 25 June 1975. It was the time when freedom, civil rights and constitutional values of expression were being crushed.”
On 12 June 1975, Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha of the Allahabad High Court found Prime Minister Indira Gandhi guilty under the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and disqualified him for taking any elected position for six years.
The case was filed by Raja Narayan, founder of Janata Party (Secular), which eventually merged with the Janata Dal. Narayan lost to former Prime Minister Gandhi from Rae Bareli seat. The Supreme Court then gave a conditional adjournment to the Prime Minister, under which he was allowed to remain in power and participate in the Parliament session, but was not allowed to vote. After which the emergency was implemented in the whole country.
This was the third such announcement in the history of independent India, before the war was announced with China (1962) and Pakistan (1971).
