New Delhi: On Friday, Union Minister Amit Shah declared June 25 as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ (Murder of Democracy Day) to mark the imposition of the Emergency in 1975 by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Back then, the Indira Gandhi-led Congress government had imposed an Emergency, which lasted until March 21, 1977, under which the special provisions of the Constitution were used to impose sweeping restrictions on civil liberties.
“On 25 June 1975, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, showing her dictatorial mindset, strangled the soul of Indian democracy by imposing emergency in the country,” Shah said in a post on ‘X’, announcing the decision.
He said that lakhs of people were put in jail for no grounds along with curtailing the
freedom of the press. Shah added that the Centre has decided to mark June 25 as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’ to recall the pain and suffering that went into contributing to their hardships, for the country, during those days of the Emergency.
“The government of India declares June 25 as “Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas to pay tribute to all those who suffered and fought against the gross abuse of power during the period of Emergency and to recommit the people of India to not support in any manner such gross abuse of power, in future,” an official notification by the Centre read.
Meanwhile, the new decision of the government ruffled feathers in Congress and its senior leader, Jairam Ramesh framed it as another, of the Centre’s moves to a “headline-grabbing exercise” by PM Modi.
In a retort to the ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’ declaration, Jairam Ramesh said “June 4 will go down in history as ModiMukti Diwas”.
“Yet another headline-grabbing exercise in hypocrisy by the non-biological PM who had imposed an undeclared Emergency for ten long years before the people of India handed him a decisive personal, political, and moral defeat on June 4, 2024 – which will go down in history as ModiMukti Diwas,” Jairam Ramesh said.
In a veiled attack on the RSS, BJP’s ideological mentor, Ramesh said the organization refused to accept the Consitution as it did not “derive inspiration from Manusmriti”.
Attacking PM Modi further, Ramesh said, “This is a non-biological PM who has subjected the Constitution of India and its principles, values, and institutions to systematic assault. This is a non-biological PM whose ideological parivar had rejected the Constitution of India in Nov 1949 because it did not derive inspiration from Manusmriti. This is a non-biological PM for whom democracy means only demo-kursi”.
According to Amit Shah, the decision envisages commemorating the massive contributions of all those who endured the inhuman pains of the 1975 Emergency, since
the Emergency was the result of the “brazen display of Indira Gandhi’s tyrant, dictatorial frame of the mind.
The then PM Indira Gandhi, on this day, in a brazen display of a dictatorial mindset, strangled the soul of our democracy, and threw lakhs of people, behind bars for no fault of their own, further, the voice of the media was also silenced,” Amit wrote in a post.
“The Government of India has decided to observe the 25th of June every year as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas.’ This day will commemorate the massive contributions of all those who endured the inhuman pains of the 1975 Emergency,” he wrote.
Soon after Shah shared the government’s decision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that observing June 25 as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’ will serve as a “reminder of what happens when the Constitution of India is trampled over”.
“It is also a day to pay homage to every person who suffered due to the excesses of the Emergency, a Congress unleashed dark phase of Indian history,” PM Modi wrote in a post on X
