‘Undeclared emergency@11': Jairam Ramesh calls BJP's rule ‘dangerous' on 50th anniversary of Emergency
Wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, imposed at midnight on June 25, 1975. To mark this dark chapter in the country's history, the Centre has designated the day as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas,' to be observed annually.
The Congress leader accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of multiple things, including attacking the Constitution, weakening the Parliament, eroding the autonomy of Constitutional bodies, damaging the judiciary, intimidating businesses, controlling the media, destroying federalism, misusing investigative agencies and cracking down on civil liberties.
New Delhi : Congress leader and party's General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday alleged that for past eleven years, India has been under undeclared emergency, stating 'Over the past 11 years and 30 days, India democracy has been under a systematic and dangerous five-fold assault that can be best described as 'Undeclared Emergency@11'. These remarks come as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) observes the 50th anniversary of the Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, as the 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas'.
Remembering the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the Congress leader said that while the BJP looked to change the constitution, the people voted to preserve it.
'During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Prime Minister sought a Char Sau Paar mandate for a new Constitution and to betray Dr Ambedkar's legacy. The people of India denied him that mandate. They voted for preserving, protecting, and further promoting economic, social, and political justice enshrined in the existing Constitution,' he said in an official statement.
The party's General Secretary also slammed the Centre for the arbitrary suspension of MPs, highlighting it as an example of 'shredding of parliamentary norms.'
'The Modi government has consistently shredded parliamentary norms. MPs have been arbitrarily suspended merely for raising issues of public concern. The government has refused to discuss critical national issues. Key legislations are bulldozed through. Parliamentary committees have been by-passed,' his statement read.
Claiming that the autonomy of constitutional bodies is being taken away, the party leader said that the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has become 'irrelevant' while the Election Commission has been 'severely compromised.'
'Serious questions about the integrity of the assembly elections in some states have been ignored. Poll timings and phases are tailored to benefit the ruling party. The Commission has remained silent in the face of divisive rhetoric from the Prime Minister and senior BJP leaders.'
Similarly with the investigative agency, Congress' General Secretary said that many agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, Central Investigative agency and Income Tax Department have been sent to 'harass and defame leaders of various opposition parties.'
Meanwhile on the attacks on judiciary, the party's Rajya Sabha MP said, 'There has been a definite policy of quiet threats to the judiciary, primarily through delayed elevations, punitive transfers, post-retirement sinecures for pliant judges, and selective implementation of collegium recommendations.'
The Congress MP also slammed the BJP for controlling the media by putting pressure on news outlets and arresting, raiding journalists, adding that 'Owners are pressured to hire government-friendly journalists, and government advertising and permits are used as tools to control editorial content.' While on eroding centre-state relations, he accused the BJP of trying to topple Opposition-ruled states and trying to buy legislators.
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 against a backdrop of mounting political unrest and judicial developments that shook the legitimacy of the ruling leadership.
This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Also read: Emergency showed extent of executive power. 50 years on, it's still embedded in Constitution
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Srinivasaraju's The Conscience Network archives young Indians in US during '70s
NEW DELHI: At a time when the American visa, its acceptance and possible denial, may scotch the 'American Dream' of aspiring Indians, journalist and The New Indian Express columnist Sugata Srinivasaraju's new book, The Conscience Network (Penguin), shows what some young Indians did with their time on American soil and its link with the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in the '70s. PhD students Ravi Chopra and Anand Kumar, and S R Hiremath, a Kannadiga who had become a top-notch corporate in the US, was part of a network that was activating the diaspora , at a time when it was just beginning to be influential, in order to save democracy. This they did through an organisation they founded: Indians for Democracy (IFD). The three were present at the book launch at the IIC on Wednesday. Marching, campaigning, pamphleteering – these young men who had grown up in the first decade of Independence were spreading the word about the dark days at home among US Congressmen and the US media at a time when many Indians back home were silent, defending the Emergency or currying favour with the government.
Hindustan Times
32 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
CM, Union minister inaugurate exhibition on Emergency at CP
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta and Union housing and urban affairs minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday inaugurated an exhibition at Central Park in Connaught Place, to mark the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Emergency on June 25, 1975. Union home minister Amit Shah, Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishaw, Delhi Lt. governor VK Saxena and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta during an event on 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas', marking the imposition of Emergency by former prime minister Indira Gandhi on Wednesday. (HT Photo) Observed as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas', the exhibition showcased rare and previously unpublished documents, including detention orders of political leaders such as former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Jan Sangh president Balraj Madhok. Organised by the Delhi government's Archives Department, the exhibition featured official records, press clippings, and photographs from the 21-month Emergency period. Calling the Emergency the darkest chapter in India's democratic journey, CM Gupta criticised the actions of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's government as cruel and dictatorial. 'Lakhs were jailed without cause. There was no appeal, no hearing—only fear,' she said. She also took aim at the Congress party, accusing its leaders of hypocrisy: 'Today they carry the Constitution in their pockets, yet they were the ones who violated it.' Gupta concluded with a pledge that India would never again tolerate such authoritarianism, and praised the present government for its commitment to democratic values. Delhi minister of art and culture Kapil Mishra, was also present at the event, said the documents provided 'clear evidence of the murder of democracy,' and noted this was the first time many had been made public. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, several cabinet ministers, and senior officials also attended the event.
Hans India
33 minutes ago
- Hans India
Unimaginable horrors
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday passed a resolution condemning 50 years of the imposition of the Emergency by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In a media briefing, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, observed a two-minute silence as a tribute to the victims of the excesses committed during the Emergency. The Union Cabinet paid tribute to their exemplary courage and valiant resistance to the Emergency's excesses. 'The year 2025 marks 50 years of the Samvidhan Hatya Diwas, an unforgettable chapter in the history of India where the Constitution was subverted and the republic and democratic spirit of India were attacked. Federalism was undermined, and fundamental rights, human liberty, and dignity were suspended,' he said. 'The Union Cabinet reaffirmed that the people of India continue to repose unflinching faith in the Indian Constitution and the resilience of the country's democratic ethos. It is as important for the young as it is for the old to draw inspiration from those who resisted dictatorial tendencies and stood firm to defend our Constitution and its democratic fabric. India, as the mother of democracy, stands as an example of preserving, protecting and safeguarding constitutional values. Let us as a nation renew our resolve to uphold our Constitution and its democratic and federal spirit," the minister added. Earlier in the day, Modi called the imposition of Emergency "one of the darkest chapters in India's history" and said the values enshrined in the Constitution were set aside as the Congress "placed democracy under arrest."
