Guwahati (Assam) [India], June 25 : Commemorating 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas', Assam Minister Bimal Borah said that the country's sacred Constitution was "murdered" 50 years ago and the rights of people were taken away.
"Our country's sacred Constitution was murdered 50 years ago... The rights of our country's people were taken away by... Remembering that day, we organised a press meet on Constitution Hatya Diwas today," Borah told reporters on Wednesday.
Earlier today, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hit out at Congress, saying that those who themselves strangled the constitution are now posing as its protectors.
Sarma paid tribute on Wednesday to the brave men and women who stood firm in upholding the Constitution during those dark times.
"Those who themselves strangled the Constitution are now posing as its protectors. 25 June ~ A reminder of the darkest chapter in India's democracy. Never forget the dark days of the Emergency,' he said in a post on X.
"As we mark 50 years of this brutal episode, India pays tribute to the brave men and women who stood firm to uphold the Constitution during those dark times," the Assam CM asserted, adding that it was solely due to their courageous efforts and valiant sacrifices that the Congress party was brought to its "knees" - marking the end of a "shameful" chapter in our history.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said that young people cannot afford to forget the "darkest period" of Indian democracy and emphasised the need to remember those responsible for undermining the Constitution and democratic values.
"...Young people cannot forget or afford not to learn about that darkest period (Emergency). Very thoughtfully, the government of the day decided that this day would be celebrated as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas'. The celebration will be - that it (Emergency) will never happen again. The celebration will be about knowing about those guilty people who allowed such transgressions of humanity's rights and the spirit of the Constitution. Who they were, why they did...", he said.
Vice President Dhankhar recalled the dissenting voice of Justice HR Khanna during that time, stating, "In the Supreme Court at the time, one judge, HR Khanna, had dissented. A leading newspaper in the US had remarked that if ever democracy returns to 'Bharat', a monument will surely be built for HR Khanna, who held his ground."
The Indira Gandhi government had imposed the Emergency on June 25, 1975. The day is observed by the government as 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas'.