The Modi government observes this day as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ so that the new generation is made aware of the pain and torture that the countrymen faced during the Emergency, he said.
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, calling the imposition of Emergency on June 25, 1975, a “reflection of the anti-democratic mentality” of one party and one individual, rather than a national necessity.
Speaking on the occasion of ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’ (Constitution Killing Day), Shah said that the 21-month period of Emergency marked one of the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history, where press freedom was throttled, the judiciary was muzzled, and thousands of activists and common citizens were jailed.
“Emergency was not imposed out of national interest, but out of a dictatorial mindset. The country witnessed the crushing of fundamental freedoms — the media was silenced, the courts were bound, and voices of dissent were thrown behind bars,” Shah said.
Recalling the resistance against the regime, Shah added, “It was the people of India who finally raised the slogan of ‘Sinhasan Khali Karo, Janata Aati Hai’ (Vacate the throne, the people are coming), and uprooted the dictatorial Congress government. Today, we pay heartfelt tributes to all those brave souls who sacrificed their lives and liberties in that struggle to protect democracy.”
Last year, the Modi government had officially declared June 25 as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’, to honour those who endured the “inhuman pain and injustice” during the Emergency period. The decision was announced by Amit Shah, who said the observance would serve as a reminder of the value of personal freedoms and democratic safeguards in the country.
“The commemoration will act as a moral compass for future generations,” Shah had said, “ensuring that dictatorial tendencies like those displayed during the Emergency are never allowed to rise again.”
A gazette notification issued by the government described the Emergency as a period of “gross abuse of power” by the government of the day, during which citizens were subjected to systemic excesses and atrocities, with civil liberties suspended across the nation.
The observance of ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’ is being seen as part of the BJP-led government’s broader effort to highlight what it terms the “undemocratic legacy” of the Congress party, and to reinforce its own commitment to upholding the Constitution and democratic values.
As the country marks 50 years since the declaration of Emergency, the political divide over its legacy remains stark, with the BJP using it as a cautionary tale, and the Congress maintaining that history should be viewed in its full context.
