Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other high-ranking ministers of the central government participated and addressed several meetings organised in different parts of the country to remind the nation how the democratic setup of the country was attacked and the civil rights suspended.
The BJP on Wednesday observed June 25 as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ to mark 50 years of Emergency, imposed on the very same day in 1975 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other high-ranking ministers of the central government participated and addressed several meetings organised in different parts of the country to remind the nation how the democratic setup of the country was attacked and the civil rights suspended.
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Shah, in one of his addresses on the issue, said people ask why remember such an incident after such a long time but I say to them it’s important as ideologies and thoughts, good or bad, may resurface in the minds of the people, and the country should take note of it.
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“I was 10-year-old when the Emergency was imposed in the country, but I still remember people, political leaders and the press professionals were put in jails, and it was all done by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi to save her seat,” he said.
The country must know that people who swear by the constitution are the ones who disrespected it the most, the Union Home Minister, in a veiled attack on Rahul Gandhi, said.
Earlier in the day, the Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Modi, passed a resolution on the dark era of Emergency to remember the individuals who resisted the subversion of democracy and the Indian Constitution by the then Indira Gandhi dispensation.
It also observed a two-minute silence for those who made sacrifices while fighting the Emergency and were subjected to unimaginable horrors by the then autocratic government.
“The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, resolved to commemorate and honour the sacrifices of countless individuals who valiantly resisted the Emergency and its attempt at subversion of the spirit of Indian Constitution, a subversion which began in 1974 with a heavy-handed attempt at crushing the Navnirman Andolan and Sampoorna Kranti Abhiyan,” the government said in an official statement.
The BJP’s commemoration, the party sources say, is part of a broader campaign to raise public awareness about the events of 1975 and their lasting impact on Indian democracy.
The Emergency, imposed by the then central government, led to the suspension of civil liberties, curtailment of press freedom, and widespread arrests of political opponents. It has since been remembered as a time when constitutional norms were sidelined and democratic rights were severely compromised. In recognition of this, the Ministry of Home Affairs officially designated June 25 as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ through a notification issued in July 2024.
Briefing the press about the Cabinet resolution on Emergency, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the two-minute silence was a tribute to those who were then subjected to unimaginable horrors during the darkest hour of Indian democracy.
“The Union Cabinet paid tributes to their exemplary courage and valiant resistance to the Emergency’s excesses,” he stated.
“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,” he further commented.
In Indore, BJP MP and party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi hit out at the Congress, accusing it of continuing to carry the same “dictatorial mindset” of the emergency imposed by the Congress government in 1975.
Trivedi, who was in Indore to attend BJP’s programme — ‘Samvidhan Hatya Divas’ to mark the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, said that the Congress made another mistake when its party leaders gave the slogan “Indira is India and India is Indira”.
The Rajya Sabha MP of the BJP said comparing India with one person (Indira Gandhi) was an insult to the country.
“Forget about the legendary people, even Lord Ram, Lord Krishna and Lord Buddha had addressed this land (Bharat) as motherland. And the Congress tried to put one person like Bharat Mata,” the BJP leader added.
“No Congress President has refuted this claim so far. It means that Congress is carrying the same dictatorial mindset, else they (Congress) would have issued a statement on it,” he added.
Madhya Pradesh, beginning June 25, will observe ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ through a series of public programmes aimed at deepening awareness about constitutional values and the importance of safeguarding democratic institutions. The observance will take the form of a sustained public engagement campaign.
The Union Ministry of Culture has outlined a calendar of activities that includes film screenings, exhibitions, seminars, essay competitions, and public rallies. These events will be held across all districts, with active participation from students, youth groups, intellectuals, and elected representatives. The goal is to foster a renewed commitment to constitutional morality and democratic resilience, especially among the younger generation.
At the state BJP headquarters in Bhopal, a symbolic jail has been constructed to represent the suppression of democratic rights during that period.
A striking visual installation accompanies the display: a photograph of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, shown concealing the Constitution behind her back. Adjacent to the image, a caption reads, ‘50th year of the dark chapter of Emergency imposed by Congress’, underscoring the party’s message that the Emergency represented a direct assault on constitutional values and democratic freedoms.
The campaign is expected to serve not only as a remembrance of past injustices but also as a platform to reinforce the values enshrined in the Constitution.
In Ayodhya, saints and spiritual leaders also drew sharp comparisons between the “dark days” of the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the present era under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership.
Reflecting on the historic moment, they said that while the Emergency period was marked by suppression, fear, and hardship, today’s India is defined by democratic expansion, development, and public welfare.
Meanwhile, there has been an intense war of words between the BJP and the Congress party over the Emergency.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also criticised Prime Minister Modi and the BJP, accusing them of misusing the 50th anniversary of the Emergency to divert attention from their failures and undermine the Indian Constitution.
Responding to the Centre’s push to commemorate the event across states, Kharge alleged, “PM Modi is repeatedly invoking a period that the country has moved past. He is making an issue out of something that people have already forgotten.”
“The Prime Minister’s sudden interest in the Constitution is only to counter our year-long campaign to protect it. Those who never contributed to the freedom struggle or constitution-making are now claiming to defend it”, he said.
“You’ve handed over the country’s assets to a few. The poor are getting poorer, and the rich richer,” he said.
Kharge also slammed PM Modi for ignoring key national issues.
Congress leader KC Venugopal said, “BJP is deliberately doing this type of drama only because of our constant Samvidhan Bachao campaign, as they have a guilty conscience.”
He said under the Modi government the country has been facing an ‘undeclared Emergency’ for the past 11 years.
The Emergency was imposed just days after Indira Gandhi was convicted by the Allahabad High Court for electoral malpractice in a case filed by the socialist leader Raj Narain, who challenged her victory from the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat.
The conviction led to Indira Gandhi’s disqualification as a Member of Parliament and the Emergency allowed her to continue as the Prime Minister.
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