'Darkest Chapters In India’s Democratic History': PM Modi On 50 Years Of Emergency

As the 1975 Emergency marks its fiftieth year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called it one of the “darkest chapters in India’s democratic history.” He emphasized that this period saw the Constitution set aside, fundamental rights suspended, press freedom extinguished, and several political leaders, social workers, students, and ordinary citizens jailed.

In a post on X, Modi criticised the Congress government, stating that when Congress was in power, they placed democracy under arrest.

"On this day, the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution were set aside, fundamental rights were suspended, press freedom was extinguished and several political leaders, social workers, students and ordinary citizens were jailed. It was as if the Congress Government in power at that time placed democracy under arrest," the post read.

In a series of tweets on X, he said, "no Indian will ever forget the manner in which the spirit of our Constitution was violated, the voice of Parliament muzzled and attempts were made to control the courts."

Recalling the Emergency time, PM said he was a young RSS Pracharak and the anti-Emergency movement was a learning experience for him.

"It reaffirmed the vitality of preserving our democratic framework. At the same time, I got to learn so much from people across the political spectrum. I am glad that BlueKraft Digital Foundation has compiled some of those experiences in the form of a book, whose foreword has been penned by Shri HD Deve Gowda Ji, himself a stalwart of the anti-Emergency movement," he said in a post in X.

On 25 June 1975, then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed issued the Emergency Proclamation under Article 352, citing threats from internal disturbance. The Emergency was declared in a backdrop of mounting political unrest and judicial developments that shook the legitimacy of the ruling leadership.