New Delhi [India], June 25 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj on Thursday expressed hopelessness over the current state of India's democratic framework, alleging that the nation is experiencing conditions akin to an undeclared emergency.
Speaking to ANI, Bhardwaj emphasised that the preservation of democracy is inextricably linked to the autonomy and integrity of the country's foundational institutions on the occasion of 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas'.
Bhardwaj asserted that key bodies, including the Election Commission, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Income Tax Department, are facing unprecedented pressure. He also highlighted the erosion of transparency mechanisms like the Right to Information (RTI) Act as a critical blow to democratic accountability.
"If democracy is to be saved, the most important thing is to protect the country's institutions, constitutional institutions, whether it is the Election Commission, ED, CBI, Income Tax Department, or the Right to Information Act," he said.
According to the AAP leader, the weakening of these pillars began with the change in central leadership twelve years ago. He argued that the current administration's approach has effectively paralysed the independence of these offices.
The AAP Delhi President drew a sharp parallel between the current political climate and the former Emergency era of the past. He suggested that while no formal declaration has been made, the systemic impact on civil liberties and institutional function reflects an "emergency-like" state.
"For the last 12 years, we have seen that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into power, all these constitutional institutions are being murdered, and almost emergency-like conditions are prevailing in the country today without any declaration of emergency," Bhardwaj stated.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders hit back at the Congress party, reminding the nation of the atrocities committed during the 1975 Emergency.
In Jaipur, Rajasthan, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said the youth must be educated on how the Congress "murdered" the Constitution decades ago.
"The way they (Congress) murdered the Constitution... they put people, journalists, volunteers, and patriots behind bars. Today you will see that many of them were arrested from the very beginning, without complete information... This should be told to our future generations, our youth, about how Congress murdered the Constitution. Our freedom fighters fought for our country's freedom, and the democracy fighters have worked to save our Constitution," Sharma said.
Voicing a similar opinion, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, speaking in Raipur, described June 25 as a day of mourning for democracy.
"Today is 25 June, and we are observing this day as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' because it was on this day in 1975 that the Emergency was imposed in the country, effectively murdering democracy and the Constitution. All non-Congress leaders were imprisoned, and the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, as well as the rights of the media, were snatched away. Citizens were deprived of their fundamental rights, and many families were also ruined," Sai remarked.
On June 25, 1975, the then-President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed issued the Emergency Proclamation under Article 352, citing "internal disturbance."
India was placed under an Emergency between June 25, 1975 and March 21, 1977. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is widely criticised for the suspension of fundamental rights during the period, and for arresting opposition leaders, including Jayaprakash Narayan, under the stringent Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA). JP Narayan had led the Sampoorn Kranti Bihar Movement against the Congress government in the 1970s.
As per the Shah Commission reports, the period witnessed mass detention, a sterilisation drive, and censorship of the press.
The BJP marks June 25 as "Samvidhan Hatya Diwas".