'Congress Has No Right to Profess Its Love For Constitution': PM Modi Hits Back as India Marks 49 Years of Emergency

As India marks 49 years of the 1975 Emergency on June 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the Congress for protesting with Constitution copies in their hands, saying the Opposition party had no right to “profess its love” for the Constitution.

“Today is a day to pay homage to all those great men and women who resisted the Emergency. The Dark Days Of Emergency remind us of how the Congress Party subverted basic freedoms and trampled over the Constitution of India which every Indian respects greatly,” PM Modi posted on X (previously Twitter) on Tuesday.

“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 the Congress was tortured and harassed. Socially regressive policies were unleashed to target the weakest sections,” he added.

Attacking the Opposition for its Constitution protest, PM Modi said, “Those who imposed the Emergency have no right to profess their love for our Constitution. These are the same people who have imposed Article 356 on innumerable occasions, got a Bill to destroy press freedom, destroyed federalism and violated every aspect of the Constitution.”

“The mindset which led to the imposition of the Emergency is very much alive among the same Party which imposed it. They hide their disdain for the Constitution through their tokenism but the people of India have seen through their antics and that is why they have rejected them time and again,” he added.

BJP MP and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also posted, “25 June 1975 is a dark chapter in the history of Indian democracy that can never be forgotten. The arrogant, autocratic Congress government violated the dignity of the Constitution and stifled freedom of expression. Those who believe in India’s democratic traditions and are dedicated to the dignity of the country’s constitution will never be able to forget June 25. Even today, listening to the poignant stories of the democracy fighters who went to jail during the Emergency brings pain to the heart. I salute all the fighters for democracy who struggled to restore democracy during the horrific period of the dark night of Emergency!”

Union Health Minister JP Nadda also attacked the Congress, citing the 1975 Emergency that was imposed by then prime minister Indira Gandhi. “June 25, 1975- this is the day the Congress Party’s politically driven decision to impose a state of emergency shook the very pillars of our democracy and tried to trample over the Constitution given by Dr. Ambedkar. During this period, those who today claim to be guardians of Indian democracy left no effort to suppress voices raised in defense of constitutional values. Today, we reflect on the sacrifices made by our great heroes who bravely stood as preservers of democracy during the Dark Days Of Emergency. I am proud that our Party belongs to that tradition which resisted the Emergency tooth and nail and worked to protect democracy,” he posted on X.

What INDIA Bloc Said

The Congress party hit back at the Prime Minister, with party leader P Chidambaram saying the Constitution reminds people to “prevent another Emergency.”

“Hon’ble Prime Minister said that ‘Emergency reminds us to protect the Constitution’. Very true I may add, the Constitution reminded the people to prevent another Emergency, and they voted to curtail the ambitions of the BJP The people voted for the 18th Lok Sabha in such a manner that no human or divine ruler can change the basic structure of the Constitution. India will remain a liberal, democratic and secular Union of States,” Chidambaram posted on X.

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi cited NEET protests and questioned PM Modi on the “education emergency”. “PM Sir, What about education emergency? Students are protesting the emergency imposed on their education and their future too, a word for them as well,” Chaturvedi wrote on X. 

Who Said What on 1975 Emergency

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “They (Congress) tried to destroy the soul of the Constitution by amending the Preamble. Congress completely restricted the fundamental rights of the citizens of the country. Congress party kept the rights of the judiciary hostage at that time. Even today, the face of the Congress party may have changed, but its character is still the same. When they go outside India, they question the Indian democracy, raise questions on the election system, curse India and its democracy, try to put the blame of their inefficiency on EVM by creating obstacles in the process of elections…”

Union Home Minister Amit Shah wrote, “Congress has a long history of killing democracy and repeatedly attacking it. The Emergency imposed by Congress on this day in 1975 is the biggest example of this. The arrogant, autocratic Congress government had suspended all kinds of civil rights in the country for 21 months for the sake of power of one family. During this period, they had imposed censorship on the media, made changes in the Constitution and tied the hands of even the court. I salute the struggle of countless satyagrahis, social workers, workers, farmers, youth and women who protested from Parliament to the streets against the Emergency.”

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “Exactly 49 years ago, Emergency was imposed in India by the then Congress government. Emergency is a dark chapter in the history of our country’s democracy which cannot be forgotten even if one wants to. The way the misuse of power and the open game of dictatorship was played during that time, raises a big question mark on the commitment of many political parties towards democracy. If democracy is still alive in this country today, the credit goes to those people who struggled to restore democracy, went to jail and had to undergo so much physical and mental torture. The coming generations of India will remember their struggle and their contribution in protecting democracy.”

On Monday, MPs of the INDIA bloc carried out protests in Parliament premises with copies of the Constitution in their hands. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi also flashed the Constitution copy in Parliament when PM Modi was taking oath as an MP.