Nainital (Uttarakhand) [India], June 25 : As BJP is observing 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' to mark 50 years of the 1975 Emergency, 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.
The Vice President made these remarks while speaking at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Kumaun University in Uttarakhand's Nainital, where he was present as the Chief Guest.
"...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."
Reflecting on the events of June 25, 1975, Dhankhar said, "Fifty years ago on this day, the world's oldest, the largest and now the most vibrant democracy went through a difficult air pocket, unexpected headwinds, nothing short of an earthquake aimed to destroy our democracy. It was the imposition of Emergency."
He further said, "When the night was dark, the Cabinet was sidelined. The then beleaguered Prime Minister, facing an adverse High Court order, yielded to personal gain, ignoring the entire nation. The then President trampled constitutionalism and signed declaration of Emergency. What followed was a 21-month turbulent period for our democracy. We had the occasion to see the darkest period in the history of our democracy."
The Indira Gandhi government had imposed the Emergency on June 25, 1975. The day is observed by the government as 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas'.