South Dinajpur (West Bengal) [India], June 25 : Marking the 50th anniversary of the imposition of Emergency in India, Union Minister and West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar questioned Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's credibility of observing the Emergency anniversary and accused her of supporting Emergency citing a reference from Jayaprakash Narayan's visit to Kolkata.
"How can CM Mamata Banerjee observe the day of the Emergency?" he asked. "When Jayaprakash Narayan came to Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee (as a form of protest) stood on the bonnet of his car. Mamata Banerjee was a supporter of the Emergency, and today, she has even imposed an informal Emergency in West Bengal."
The Bharatiya Janata Party is observing the 50th anniversary of the Emergency as the 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas'. India was placed under a state of Emergency from June 25, 1975, to March 21 1977, following the implementation of Article 352 of the constitution.
Mamata Banerjee has strongly objected over the term 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas' and accused BJP of dismantling Constitution on daily basis.
"I strongly object to the term 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas'. The Constitution is the foundation of our democracy, our rights, our motherland. But @bjp4india is dismantling it every single day. People's rights are being crushed, state governments bulldozed, yet they have the audacity to speak of 'more power to democracy'," said CM Banerjee in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet today observed a two-minute silence in memory of those who lost their constitutionally guaranteed rights and faced "unimaginable horrors" during the Emergency. The cabinet paid tribute to their "exemplary courage and valiant resistance" to the Emergency's excesses.
Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that a resolution was passed to mark 50 years since the Proclamation of Emergency.
The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The resolution 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 was attacked, federalism was undermined, and fundamental rights, human liberty and dignity were suspended."
It added that the Emergency was an attempt "at subversion of the spirit of the Indian Constitution," which began in 1974 with efforts to crush movements like the Navnirman Andolan and the Sampoorna Kranti Abhiyan.
The resolution reaffirmed that the people of India continue to have unshakable faith in the Constitution and the country's democratic values. "It is as important for the young as it is for the old to draw inspiration from those who resisted dictatorial tendencies and stood firm to defend our Constitution and its democratic fabric," it said.