NEW DELHI, Jun 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that no Indian will ever forget the manner in which the spirit of the Constitution was violated during the Emergency, as he affirmed his government’s commitment to strengthening constitutional principles.
In a series of posts on X on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, Modi said it was one of the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history.
The values enshrined in the Constitution were set aside, fundamental rights suspended, press freedom extinguished and a large number of political leaders, social workers, students and ordinary citizens jailed, he noted.
The prime minister said, “It was as if the Congress Government in power at that time placed democracy under arrest.”
The Modi government had announced last year that the Emergency anniversary will be commemorated as “Samvidhan Hatya Diwas”.
The 42nd Amendment, which made extensive changes to the Constitution and was reversed by the Janata Party government, is a prime example of the shenanigans of the Congress government that imposed Emergency, he said.
He added that the poor, marginalised and downtrodden were particularly targeted, including their dignity insulted.”
“We also reiterate our commitment to strengthening the principles in our Constitution and working together to realise our vision of a Viksit Bharat. May we scale new heights of progress and fulfil the dreams of the poor and downtrodden,” Modi said.
Saluting every person who stood firm in the fight against the Emergency, the prime minister said these were the people from all over India, from all walks of life, from diverse ideologies who worked closely with each other with one aim: to protect India’s democratic fabric and to preserve the ideals for which freedom fighters devoted their lives.
“It was their collective struggle that ensured that the then Congress Government had to restore democracy and call for fresh elections, which they badly lost,” he said. (Agencies)
