‘Congress has no right to profess….’: PM Modi on the 50th anniversary of Emergency

PM Modi jabs Congress at 50th anniversary of Emergency

On the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi blasted the Congress on Tuesday, accusing it of abandoning democratic norms and “turning the country into a jail”. He also criticized the party, claiming it had no right to “profess their love” for the Constitution.

On June 25, 1975, then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, a Congress stalwart, declared an Emergency in the country, suspending civil liberties, imprisoning opposition leaders and dissidents, and censoring the press. It was in place for 21 months, until 1977.

PM Modi paid tribute to those who “resisted” the Emergency in a tweet, saying the “dark days” reminded people of how the Congress “subverted basic freedoms and trampled the Constitution”.

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‘Today is a day to pay homage to those who resisted Emergency’: Modi

“Today is a day to pay homage to all those great men and women who resisted the Emergency. The #DarkDaysOfEmergency remind us of how the Congress Party subverted basic freedoms and trampled over the Constitution of India, which every Indian respects greatly,” he said.

“Just to cling on to power, the then Congress Government disregarded every democratic principle and made the nation into a jail. Any person who disagreed with Congress was tortured and harassed. Socially regressive policies were unleashed to target the weakest sections,” he tweeted.

PM Modi lashed out at the Congress over charges that the Constitution was “attacked,” claiming that the party had destroyed federalism and had no right to “profess their love” for it.

“Those who declared the Emergency have no right to say they cherish our Constitution. These are the same people who have imposed Article 356 on numerous occasions, introduced legislation to eliminate press freedom, abolished federalism, and violated every part of the Constitution,” he stated.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah also lambasts Congress

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, citing the Emergency, accused the Congress of “killing” democracy and continually targeting it.

“Congress has a long history of undermining democracy and continually attacking it. The most notable example is Congress’s declaration of an emergency on this day in 1975. The arrogant and dictatorial Congress government had suspended all civil liberties in the country for 21 months in order to preserve the power of one family,” he tweeted in Hindi.