The government on Friday declared to observe June 25—the day the Emergency was declared in 1975 by former prime minister Indra Gandhi—as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’.
Announcing the government’s decision, Union Home MinisterAmit Shahsaid the move aimsto commemorate the “massive contributions” of all those who endured inhuman pains during the period. Emergency was a “brazen display of a dictatorial mindset,” and it “strangled the soul of our democracy”, the home minister added.
Soon after the announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter), said “To observe 25th June as Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas will serve as a reminder of what happens when the Constitution of India was trampled over.”
“It is also a day to pay homage to each and every person who suffered due to the excesses of the Emergency, a Congress unleashed dark phase of Indian history,” PM Modi added.
To observe 25th June as #SamvidhaanHatyaDiwas will serve as a reminder of what happens when the Constitution of India was trampled over. It is also a day to pay homage to each and every person who suffered due to the excesses of the Emergency, a Congress unleashed dark phase of… https://t.co/om14K8BiTz
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 12, 2024
Headline Grabbing Exercise
Meanwhile, the Congress slammed the government’s move to declare June 25 as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’, terming it yet another “headline grabbing exercise in hypocrisy” by Modi-led NDA government.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “Yet another headline grabbing exercise in hypocrisy by the non-biological PM who had imposed an undeclared Emergency for ten long years before the people of India handed him a decisive personal, political, and moral defeat on June 4, 2024 – which will go down in history as ModiMukti Diwas.”
“This is a non-biological PM who has subjected the Constitution of India and its principles, values, and institutions to systematic assault,” Ramesh said on X.
Attacking PM Modi further, Ramesh said, “This is a non-biological PM whose ideological parivar had rejected the Constitution of India in Nov 1949 on the grounds that it did not derive inspiration from Manusmriti. This is a non-biological PM for whom democracy means only demo-kursi,” the Congress leader added.
Yet another headline grabbing exercise in hypocrisy by the non-biological PM who had imposed an undeclared Emergency for ten long years before the people of India handed him a decisive personal, political, and moral defeat on June 4, 2024 – which will go down in history as…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 12, 2024
Reacting to the government decision, UP Congress president Ajay Rai said, “BJP is very upset with the results of the Lok Sabha elections. Now they are not able to understand which way to take, or which weapon to use so that they can stop the things of INDIA alliance. So they are now talking about emergencies…I think they are worried.”
While another senior Congress leader and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said, “After the emergency, the Congress party has ruled this country with Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and P. V. Narasimha Rao. The people of this country restored confidence in the Congress party…”
Meanwhile, RJD—an INDIA bloc ally, leader Manoj Jha said, “Look who is talking?…They have destroyed the Constitution…They should keep a mirror in front of them.” The RJD leader said, “The people of India will not fall for your ‘jumlas’ now….” adding that “A few years ago Partition Horrors Remembrance Day was announced, but they are not talking about it.”
#WATCH | On June 25 to be observed as Samvidhan Hatya Divas in remembrance of 1975 Emergency, RJD leader Manoj Jha, “Look who is talking?…They have destroyed the Constitution…They should keep a mirror in front of them. A few years ago Partition Horrors Remembrance Day was… pic.twitter.com/vJGlKSrO7g
— ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2024
It is important to note that soon after taking charge, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla read out a resolution condemning the imposition of Emergency on the night of June 25-26, 1975, calling out the Congress and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for its atrocities. “This House condemns the decision to impose the Emergency in 1975. We also appreciate the resolve of those who opposed the Emergency with all their might and fulfilled the responsibility of protecting India’s democracy. The Congress trampled upon the spirit of the constitution. It imposed dictatorship in 1975. People bore the brunt of draconian policies. The Emergency is a blot on our history,” Birla had said in his statement.