‘We salute every person who stood firm’: PM Modi recalls fight against Emergency

NEW DELHI: On the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Emergency, observed as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday sharply criticised the Congress government of 1975 for undermining democratic institutions and suppressing fundamental rights.

In a series of posts on X, the Prime Minister he also paid tribute to those who resisted the Emergency, calling them defenders of India’s democratic soul.

“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,” PM Modi X post read.

“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,” PM Modi said.

Fifty years ago, between 25 June 1975 and 21 March 1977, Indira Gandhi’s government unleashed a wave of repression, imprisoning lakhs of people without justification and muzzling the media. The Emergency stripped citizens of their fundamental rights and undermined the country’s democratic fabric.

PM Modi reaffirmed his government’s commitment to constitutional values and the vision of a developed India, working to uplift the poor and downtrodden.

In another post on X, the Prime Minister said “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”.

Terming it one of the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history, PM Modi said the imposition of the Emergency by the Congress not only violated the spirit of the Constitution but placed “democracy under arrest”.

“No Indian will ever forget the manner in which the spirit of our Constitution was violated, the voice of Parliament muzzled, and attempts were made to control the courts. The 42nd Amendment is a prime example of their shenanigans. The poor, marginalised and downtrodden were particularly targeted, including their dignity insulted,” he said.

PM Modi accused the then-Congress government of violating the Constitution’s spirit, suspending fundamental rights, extinguishing press freedom, and jailing political leaders, social workers, students, and citizens.

PM Modi’s post read, “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!”

On 25 June 1975, then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed issued the Emergency Proclamation under Article 352, citing threats from internal disturbance. The Emergency was declared in a backdrop of mounting political unrest and judicial developments that shook the legitimacy of the ruling leadership.

The decision followed a press note from the government accusing individuals of provoking the police and armed forces to defy orders.

It marked the third Emergency in India’s history, but the first one declared in peacetime. Earlier proclamations were during wars with China (1962) and Pakistan (1971). (ANI)