Home Minister Amit Shah on June 24 condemned the Congress for imposing the Emergency in 1975, stating, “We overcame a dark chapter like the Emergency because our nation never bows to dictatorship.”
Speaking at a program marking 50 years of the Emergency at the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya in Delhi, Amit Shah said the Emergency was declared by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi out of fear for her power, despite the absence of any external threat or internal unrest.
मोदी जी ने 25 जून को ‘संविधान हत्या दिवस’ मनाने का निर्णय लिया, ताकि देश की स्मृति में रहे कि सरकार के तानाशाह बन जाने के कैसे दुष्परिणाम भुगतने पड़ते हैं। pic.twitter.com/thAoQ3r5cW
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 24, 2025
“Today marks the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Emergency. Some may wonder why we are discussing an event that happened so long ago,” Amit Shah said. “When 50 years pass after any national event, its memory often fades from society. But forgetting an event like the Emergency, which shook our democracy, would be harmful to the nation.”
He added, “Today, India is the world’s largest democracy because we overcame that dark chapter. Our nation never bows to dictatorship. The world witnessed the birth of democracy on this soil—India is the mother of democracy.”
आपातकाल से पहले की रात, आजादी के बाद के भारत की सबसे लंबी रात थी, क्योंकि इसकी सुबह 21 महीनों बाद हुई, जब देश का लोकतंत्र फिर से पुनर्जीवित हुआ। pic.twitter.com/aBxWsK6rkY
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 24, 2025
Amit Shah also recalled that the first non-Congress government was formed in the general elections after the Emergency. “At that time, no one supported the Emergency except the dictators and a small group who benefited from it. They believed no one could challenge them. But after the Emergency, in the first Lok Sabha elections, a non-Congress government was formed for the first time since independence, with Morarji Desai becoming the Prime Minister,” he said.
इसलिए जरूरी है बार-बार 25 जून 1975 को कांग्रेस द्वारा लगाए गए ‘आपातकाल’ को याद करना। pic.twitter.com/TAaZd4DWgM
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 24, 2025
“It is hard to capture the Emergency in a single sentence, but I define it as the conspiracy to turn a vibrant multi-party democracy into a dictatorship,” he said.
He added that the Modi government chose to observe June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Divas to remind the nation of the suffering caused when leaders become dictators.
आपातकाल में… कांग्रेस के एक तानाशाह की नजरों में…
पत्रकार – असामाजिक,
छात्र – अराजक,
सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता – देश के लिए खतरा
और जनता – गुलाम बन गयी। pic.twitter.com/aca985dNon— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 24, 2025
“During the Emergency, such drastic changes were made that it was called a ‘mini-Constitution.’ From altering the Preamble to undermining the Basic Structure, everything was changed. The judiciary became submissive, and democratic rights were suspended. The nation must never forget this. That is why PM Modi declared June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Divas—to ensure the country remembers the price of dictatorship,” he said.
He emphasised that upholding the spirit of the Constitution is not the sole duty of the courts or Parliament, but also the responsibility and right of every citizen.
आपातकाल का मूल कारण सत्ता की भूख थी। न देश पर कोई बाहरी खतरा था, न ही कोई आंतरिक संकट था, खतरा बस इंदिरा गाँधी की कुर्सी पर था। pic.twitter.com/WeSNyAvLKZ
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 24, 2025
“I believe Samvidhan Hatya Divas should be observed collectively and consciously so that the youth never forget how the Constitution was once silenced,” Amit Shah said.
Taking a swipe at opposition parties, he questioned their commitment to the Constitution. “Today, some preach about protecting the Constitution. But I ask— which party did you belong to when Indira Gandhi announced the Emergency on All India Radio? Was Parliament consulted? Were opposition leaders or citizens informed? Those who claim to protect democracy now—were you its protectors or its destroyers back then? They said the Emergency was to protect the nation, but the truth is, it was to protect their own power,” he said.
He added, “There was no threat to national security, no external danger, and no internal unrest. The only threat was to Indira Ji’s power. At 4 am, an emergency cabinet meeting was called, but leaders like Babu Jagjivan Ram and Sardar Swaran Singh said they were not consulted and only informed.” Amit Shah said the Emergency imposed on June 25, 1975, serves as a reminder of “how far Congress can go.”
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