As the country marked the 50th anniversary of the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday called it the “darkest chapter in Indian democracy”.
In a post on X, Rajnath Singh posted, “Fifty years ago today, a nefarious attempt was made to strangle Indian democracy through the imposition of Emergency. People still remember the Emergency as the darkest chapter in Indian democracy. By sidelining the Constitution, the manner in which the Emergency was imposed on the country is a glaring example of the misuse of power and dictatorship. All opposition leaders were thrown into jail. There was no constitutional institution left that was not misused.”
“Yet, the democratic traditions of this country could not be erased by the then government, no matter how much they tried. Today, democracy is alive in India, and for this, those who struggled during the Emergency, endured imprisonment, and suffered hardships have made an immense contribution. The future generations of India can never forget their contribution,” said Rajnath Singh.
“Prime Minister Modi has decided to observe June 25 as ‘Constitution Assassination Day’ so that every citizen remembers how dictatorship attempts were made to murder democracy,” his post read.
Earlier in the day, the Union Cabinet observed a two-minute silence to pay tributes to those whose constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights were taken away and who were then subjected to “unimaginable horrors” during the Emergency.
The Union Cabinet paid tributes to their exemplary courage and valiant resistance to the Emergency’s excesses.
Briefing reporters after a meeting of the Union Cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that a resolution was adopted on 50 years of the Proclamation of Emergency.
The Indira Gandhi government had imposed the Emergency on June 25, 1975. The day is observed by the government as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Divas.’
The meeting of the Union Cabinet was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Union Cabinet resolved to commemorate and honour the sacrifices of countless individuals who valiantly resisted the Emergency and its attempt “at subversion of the spirit of the Indian Constitution, a subversion which began in 1974 with a heavy-handed attempt at crushing the Navnirman Andolan and Sampoorna Kranti Abhiyan.
“The year 2025 marks 50 years of the Samvidhan Hatya Diwas – an unforgettable chapter in the history of India where the Constitution was subverted, the Republic and democratic spirit of India were attacked, federalism was undermined, and fundamental rights, human liberty, and dignity were suspended,” the resolution said.
The Union Cabinet reaffirmed that the people of India continue to repose unflinching faith in the Indian Constitution and the resilience of the country’s democratic ethos.
It is as important for the young as it is for the old to draw inspiration from those who resisted dictatorial tendencies and stood firm to defend our Constitution and its democratic fabric, the resolution said.”India, as the Mother of Democracy, stands as an example of preserving, protecting, and safeguarding constitutional values. Let us, as a Nation, renew our resolve to uphold our Constitution and its democratic and federal spirit,” it said. (ANI)
