New Delhi [India], August 15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his 79th Independence Day address from the Red Fort on Friday, invoked the 1975 Emergency, terming it a "sin of murdering the Constitution" and urging citizens to stay steadfast in defending democratic values.
Addressing the nation, PM Modi said,"50 years ago, India's Constitution was strangled and backstabbed; the country was turned into a jail. An emergency was imposed. It has been 50 years of the Emergency. No generation in the country should forget this sin of murdering the Constitution. They should not forget the sinners who murdered the Constitution. We should go ahead by further strengthening our dedication to the Constitution of India. That is our inspiration."
The remarks come as the country marks half a century since the Emergency was imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975. PM Modi, who had earlier in June described the anniversary as a "prime example of their shenanigans," reiterated that the 21-month period represented one of the darkest chapters in India's democratic history.
Terming it one of the darkest chapters in India's democratic history, Prime Minister Modi said the imposition of the Emergency by the Congress had not only violated the spirit of the Constitution but had also placed "democracy under arrest".
Taking to the social media website X, PM Modi, in a series of posts, said, "No Indian would ever forget the manner in which the spirit of our Constitution was violated, the voice of Parliament was muzzled, and attempts were made to control the courts. The 42nd Amendment was a prime example of their shenanigans. The poor, marginalised, and downtrodden were particularly targeted, and their dignity was insulted."
Fifty years ago, between 25 June 1975 and 21 March 1977, Indira Gandhi's government unleashed a wave of repression, imprisoning lakhs of people without justification and muzzling the media. The Emergency stripped citizens of their fundamental rights and undermined the country's democratic fabric.
On 25 June 1975, then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed issued the Emergency proclamation under Article 352, citing threats from internal disturbance.
The Emergency was declared against a backdrop of mounting political unrest and judicial developments that shook the legitimacy of the ruling leadership. The decision followed a press note from the government accusing individuals of provoking the police and armed forces to defy orders.
It marked the third Emergency in India's history, but the first one declared in peacetime. Earlier proclamations were during wars with China (1962) and Pakistan (1971).
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the tricolour at the Red Fort on the 79th Independence Day.PM Modi was received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, MoS Sanjay Seth, and the Chiefs of the three services.