“Constitution Assassination Day” from June 25: Rahul Gandhi’s Constitution… Modi Government’s Stark Response
The central government has declared June 25 as “Constitutional Assassination Day.” Home Minister Amit Shah shared this information via a social media post. The government has also issued a gazette notification regarding this decision.
Providing details about the decision, Shah wrote, “On June 25, 1975, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi exhibited her dictatorial mentality by imposing an emergency in the country, strangling the soul of Indian democracy. Millions of people were thrown into jail without any reason, and the voice of the media was suppressed.”
June 25 to be Observed Annually as “Constitutional Assassination Day”
“This day will commemorate the immense contributions of all those who endured the inhumane suffering during the Emergency of 1975.”
“The decision taken by the central government under the leadership of the Prime Minister aims to honor the struggle of millions who fought to revive democracy, despite facing countless atrocities and oppression from the dictatorial government.”
“Constitutional Assassination Day will serve to protect democracy and keep the eternal flame of individual freedom alive within every Indian, ensuring that no authoritarian mentality like that of the Congress ever repeats in the future.”
PM Modi Urges Emergency Imposition Not to Show Affection Towards Constitution
This year, on June 25th, marked the 49th anniversary of the Emergency. Just a day earlier, on June 24th, opposition MPs took oath with a copy of the Constitution during the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha.
The Prime Minister had criticized this action by Congress in a Facebook post, stating that those who impose emergency do not have the right to show affection towards the Constitution.
PM Modi later posted four consecutive posts on X. He mentioned that due to the mindset behind imposing emergency, it remains alive in this party.
In response, Congress leader P. Chidambaram stated that this time, the people have voted to save the country from another emergency. It reminds us that our constitution prevents us from imposing another emergency on the people.
PM Modi References Emergency on First Day of Parliament Session
Just half an hour before the commencement of the Parliament session on June 24th to July 3rd, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned the Emergency. He stated, “June 25th is a day that should not be forgotten. On this day, the complete disregard for the Constitution was demonstrated. India was turned into a prison, and democracy was completely suppressed.”
He emphasized, “While protecting India’s democracy and democratic traditions, citizens will pledge that no one will ever have the courage to repeat what was done at that time in India. The new generation of India will never forget that during the Emergency, the Constitution was completely disregarded.”
21-Month Long Emergency Imposed on June 25, 1975
On June 25, 1975, India witnessed the imposition of a 21-month long emergency. President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed signed the Emergency order on the advice of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Immediately after, Indira Gandhi announced the Emergency through radio broadcast.
The roots of this decision stemmed from the 1971 Lok Sabha elections, where Indira Gandhi suffered a major defeat in Rae Bareli against Raj Narayan of the Socialist Party by over one lakh votes. Subsequently, Raj Narayan accused Indira Gandhi of electoral malpractice, leading to a legal battle in the Allahabad High Court.
On June 12, 1975, the High Court declared Indira’s election invalid and barred her from contesting elections for six years. She appealed to the Supreme Court on June 23, 1975. However, the Supreme Court did not stay the High Court’s decision, and she was granted a conditional stay to remain as Prime Minister. Following this, Indira Gandhi declared the Emergency in the country.
