Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, said on Wednesday that no Indian will ever forget how the spirit of the Constitution was trampled during that period. He reiterated his government’s unwavering commitment to protecting and strengthening the nation’s constitutional principles.
Calling the Emergency one of the darkest chapters in Indian democracy, Modi said in a series of posts on X that the era was marked by suspended fundamental rights, crushed press freedom, and the mass jailing of political leaders, social activists, students, and ordinary citizens.
“It was as if the Congress Government in power at that time placed democracy under arrest,” the prime minister remarked. He reminded the public that the Emergency anniversary is now observed as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas (Constitution Killing Day), as declared by his government last year.
Modi also slammed the 42nd Amendment passed during the Emergency, calling it a blatant attempt by the Congress regime to rewrite and distort the Constitution. He said the amendment, later reversed by the Janata Party government, remains a stark example of Congress’s constitutional overreach.
Highlighting the human cost of the Emergency, Modi said the poor and marginalised were especially victimised. “Their dignity was insulted and their voices silenced,” he said.
Paying tribute to those who resisted the Emergency, Modi praised the unity shown by citizens from various backgrounds who came together to fight for democracy. “It was their collective struggle that forced the then Congress Government to restore democracy and call fresh elections, which they badly lost,” he said.
Reaffirming his vision for a Viksit Bharat (Developed India), Modi concluded by pledging to honour the sacrifices of the past by upholding the democratic values for which freedom fighters laid down their lives.
