New Delhi, June 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that today marks 50 years since the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history, the imposition of the Emergency, when constitutional values were suspended, rights were curbed, and many were jailed.
Taking to his official ‘X’ handle, PM wrote, “Today marks fifty years since one of the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history, the imposition of the Emergency. The people of India mark this day as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas. On this day, the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution were set aside, fundamental rights were suspended, press freedom was extinguished and several political leaders, social workers, students and ordinary citizens were jailed.”
“It was as if the Congress Government in power at that time placed democracy under arrest! #SamvidhanHatyaDiwas,” he added.
PM Modi said that the country salutes every person who stood firm in the fight against the Emergency and worked closely with each other to protect India’s democratic fabric and to preserve the ideals for which our freedom fighters devoted their lives.
“We salute every person who stood firm in the fight against the Emergency! These were the people from all over India, from all walks of life, from diverse ideologies who worked closely with each other with one aim: to protect India’s democratic fabric and to preserve the ideals for which our freedom fighters devoted their lives. It was their collective struggle that ensured that the then Congress Government had to restore democracy and call for fresh elections, which they badly lost. #SamvidhanHatyaDiwas,” he wrote in a post on ‘X’.
PM Modi also reiterated the commitment to strengthening the principles in the Constitution and working together to realise the nation’s vision of a Viksit Bharat
“We also reiterate our commitment to strengthening the principles in our Constitution and working together to realise our vision of a Viksit Bharat. May we scale new heights of progress and fulfil the dreams of the poor and downtrodden. #SamvidhanHatyaDiwas,” he added.
PM Modi reflected on his time as a young RSS Pracharak during the Emergency.
“When the Emergency was imposed, I was a young RSS Pracharak. The anti-Emergency movement was a learning experience for me. It reaffirmed the vitality of preserving our democratic framework. At the same time, I got to learn so much from people across the political spectrum. I am glad that BlueKraft Digital Foundation has compiled some of those experiences in the form of a book, whose foreword has been penned by Shri HD Deve Gowda Ji, himself a stalwart of the anti-Emergency movement,” he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is marking the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, which was imposed by Indira Gandhi's government in 1975, as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ (Constitution Murder Day).
The party has planned various outreach programs at the district and booth levels across the country to remember this day as a "dark chapter" in India's democracy.
