Prime Minister Narendra Modi commemorated 50 years since the imposition of the Emergency, calling it one of the darkest chapters in Indian democracy. Marking June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas, Modi paid tribute to those who defended constitutional values during the period from 1975 to 1977, when fundamental rights were suspended and thousands jailed.
He said the Emergency, imposed after a court verdict against the then Prime Minister, silenced press freedom and muzzled Parliament. Recalling his own experience as a young RSS pracharak, he described the anti-Emergency movement as formative in his political life and a vital lesson in safeguarding democracy.
In posts on social media, Modi criticized the Congress regime’s actions including the 42nd Amendment, alleging that the poor and marginalized suffered most. He called on citizens whose families endured the period to share their stories to inform younger generations.
Modi also referenced The Emergency Diaries, a new compilation of personal accounts from that era, with a foreword by H. D. Deve Gowda. He reiterated a commitment to uphold constitutional principles and build a developed, inclusive India—Viksit Bharat—grounded in democratic ideals.
