‘Constitution was made a puppet': PM Modi recalls emergency on Mann Ki Baat
New Delhi, June 29 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today invoked the memories of the Emergency period (1975–77), calling it a "murder of the Constitution" and warning citizens to remain vigilant against any such threats to democracy.
Without naming the Congress or then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Modi in the123rd episode of his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, strongly criticised the imposition of the Emergency, stating that it not only subverted constitutional values but also reduced the judiciary to a "puppet".
'Those who imposed the Emergency not only murdered the Constitution but also made the judiciary their puppet,' he said, adding that the atrocities committed during the 21-month period should never be forgotten. 'People were tortured on a large scale, students were harassed, and freedom of expression was throttled,' he noted.
The Prime Minister played archival clips from speeches by former Prime Ministers Morarji Desai and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, as well as former Deputy Prime Minister Jagjivan Ram, all of whom were prominent figures in the opposition to the Emergency.
He also referred to the arrest and treatment of socialist leader George Fernandes, noting that many were detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) without trial.
'Many people were subjected to severe torture. Under MISA, anyone could be summarily arrested. Students too were harassed. Freedom of expression was also stifled. Thousands of people who were arrested during that period were subjected to such inhumane atrocities.
'But it is the strength of the people of India… they did not bow down, did not break down and did not accept any compromise with democracy. Finally, the people at large won – the Emergency was lifted and those who imposed the Emergency were defeated,' said the PM.
Marking the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, which was observed recently as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas (Constitution Murder Day), Modi emphasised the importance of remembering those who fought to uphold democratic values.
"Just a few days ago, the imposition of Emergency on the country completed its 50 years. We countrymen have observed the 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas'. We should always remember all those people who fought the Emergency with fortitude," said the PM.
'This inspires us to remain constantly vigilant to keep our Constitution strong and enduring,' he added. UNI AJ SSP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
After dramatic vote, Senate pushes ahead on Trump's tax break, spending cut plan
Capping a tumultuous night, the Republican-controlled Senate advanced President Donald Trump 's package of tax breaks, spending cuts and increased deportation money, with more weekend work ahead as Congress races to meet his Fourth of July deadline for passage. By a 51-49 tally and with Vice President JD Vance at the Capitol to break a potential tie, the Senate cleared a key procedural step Saturday as midnight approached. Voting had come to a standstill, dragging for more than three hours, with holdout senators huddling for negotiations and taking private meetings off the Senate floor. In the end, two Republicans opposed the motion to move ahead on Trump's signature domestic policy plan, joining all 47 Democrats. "Tonight we saw a GREAT VICTORY in the Senate," Trump said in a social media post afterward. Republicans are using their majorities in Congress to push aside Democratic opposition, but they have run into a series of political and policy setbacks. Not all GOP lawmakers are on board with proposals to reduce spending on Medicaid, food stamps and other programs as a way to help cover the cost of extending some USD 3.8 trillion in Trump tax breaks . Live Events Trump had lashed out against holdouts, threatening to campaign against one Republican, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who had announced he could not support the bill because of Medicaid cuts that he worried would leave many without health care in his state. A new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the Senate version of the bill would increase by 11.8 million the number of people without health insurance in 2034. Tillis and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted "no". Renewed pressure to oppose the 940-page bill came from Elon Musk, who criticised it as "utterly insane and destructive". Ahead for senators now will be an all-night debate and amendments. If they are able to pass it, the bill would return to the House for a final round of votes before it could reach the White House. With the narrow Republican majorities in the House and Senate, leaders need almost every lawmaker on board. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Republicans released the bill "in the dead of night" on Friday and were rushing through before the public fully knew what was in it. He forced a full reading of the text that began late Saturday and continued into Sunday morning. Tax breaks and core GOP priorities At its core, the legislation would make permanent many of the tax breaks from Trump's first term that would otherwise expire by year's end if Congress fails to act, resulting in a potential tax increase on Americans. The bill would add new breaks, including no taxes on tips, and commit USD 350 billion to national security, including for Trump's mass deportation agenda. But the cutbacks to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy investments are also causing dissent within GOP ranks. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said the environmental rollbacks would amount to a "death sentence" for America's wind and solar industries. The Republicans are relying on the reductions to offset the lost tax revenues but some lawmakers say the cuts go too far, particularly for people receiving health care through Medicaid. Meanwhile, conservatives, worried about the nation's debt, are pushing for steeper cuts. A dramatic roll call As the roll call teetered, attention turned to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who was surrounded by GOP leaders in intense conversation. She voted "yes". A short time later, Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., drew holdouts Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming to his office. Vance joined in. The talks dragged on. Then Vance led them all back in to vote. Later, Scott said he had met with the president, adding, "We all want to get to yes." Lee said the group "had an internal discussion about the strategy to achieve more savings and more deficit reduction, and I feel good about the direction where this is going, and more to come." Republicans revise after setbacks by Senate's arbiter The release of the bill's draft had been delayed as the Senate parliamentarian reviewed the measure to ensure it complied with the chamber's strict "Byrd Rule", named for the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd, It largely bars policy matters from inclusion in budget bills unless a provision can get 60 votes to overcome objections. Republicans suffered a series of setbacks after several proposals, including shifting food stamp costs from the federal government to the states or gutting the funding structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, were deemed out of compliance with the rules. But over the past days, Republicans have quickly revised those proposals and reinstated them. The final text includes a proposal for cuts to the Medicaid provider tax that had run into parliamentary hurdles and objections from several senators worried about the fate of rural hospitals. The new version extends the start date for those cuts and establishes a USD 25 billion fund to aid rural hospitals and providers. Top income-earners would see about a USD 12,000 tax cut under the House bill, while the package would cost the poorest Americans USD 1,600, the CBO said. Tussle over SALT The Senate included a compromise over the so-called SALT provision, a deduction for state and local taxes that has been a top priority of lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states, but the issue remains unsettled. The current SALT cap is USD 10,000 a year, and a handful of Republicans wanted to boost it to USD 40,000 a year. The final draft includes a USD 40,000 cap, but limits it for five years. Many Republican senators say that is still too generous, but House Republicans are not fully satisfied either. House Speaker Mike Johnson sent his colleagues home for the weekend with plans to be on call to return to Washington.
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Bihar first, Bihari first': Chirag Paswan reveals reason behind his Bihar poll entry; says opposition all 'jittery'
Chirag Paswan Union minister Chirag Paswan on Sunday said that he wants to contest the upcoming assembly elections 'for the sake of Bihar,' and brushed aside attempts by 'jittery' rivals to block his path. Addressing a rally titled Bahujan Bhim Sankalp Samagam at Rajgir in Nalanda, the home district of CM Nitish Kumar, Paswan slammed the opposition INDIA bloc, accusing them of misleading voters. He urged people to be careful against the 'false narrative' of the bloc which 'alleged during the Lok Sabha polls last year that the Constitution will be under threat if Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a third consecutive term.' "They are trying to play the same trick again in the run up to assembly polls. But you must remember that the worst attack on Constitution came during the Emergency when the Congress was in power and countless young men, mostly Dalits, minorities and OBCs, had been forcibly sterilised,' said the Lok Janshakti Party president. The Hajipur MP further criticised the Congress for allegedly using minority concerns as a political tool. 'Today the Congress and its allies are busy trying to present themselves as the champions of minorities by attending a rally in Patna where they are opposing the Waqf Act which had been brought for the benefit of poor Muslims. They should be asked about the Turkman Gate massacre,' he said. Paswan also took aim at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for aligning with the Congress 'just for the sake of power'. He challenged him to 'seek an apology from Rahul Gandhi for excesses during the Emergency, the sufferers of which include his own father (RJD president Lalu Prasad)'. He went on to attack Rahul Gandhi for 'carrying a red copy of the Constitution', accusing the Congress of sidelining Babasaheb Ambedkar while in power. 'It was the government of VP Singh, supported by the BJP, in which my idol and father late Ram Vilas Paswan a minister, that Bharat Ratna was given to Babasaheb, his picture was installed in Parliament and the report of Mandal Commission, put by the Congress in cold storage, was implemented,' he said. Talking about the issue of reservation, Paswan said that the opposition keeps on raising a "false alarm." 'The opposition keeps raising the false alarm that reservation will be scrapped. Let me give you the guarantee that this is not going to happen, as long as Chirag Paswan is alive,' he assured the people. Reflecting upon his comeback to the Bihar politics, he said that it symbolised people coming back to the state after fleeing from the lawlessness during the RJD rule. 'Many people are jittery that I want to come to Bihar. They are trying to know whether I will be contesting elections here. I wish to tell them, I want to contest assembly polls for the sake of Bihar. So that my dream of Bihar First, Bihari First is realised,' he said. Paswan said that even though hurdles are being placed through his way, he won't be discouraged, adding that previous attempts to weaken him by splitting his party and creating rifts in his family had failed. He urged his party workers to spread out across all 243 assembly constituencies and campaign for the NDA's victory with the same determination as if he himself were contesting. 'You give me NDA's victory in assembly polls. I will give you a developed Bihar,' he added.
India Today
29 minutes ago
- India Today
Telangana to restructure engineering fees to raise academic standards
The Telangana government is set to re-evaluate the fee structure for engineering colleges in the state, with a strong focus on improving educational quality and aligning with evolving industry demands. According to an official release, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy aims to raise the standards of technical education, urging institutions to match global benchmarks, especially in high-demand fields like Artificial Intelligence (AI).advertisementTo achieve this, the Congress-led state government plans to introduce a new system that encourages engineering colleges to upgrade infrastructure, enhance faculty quality, and improve laboratory facilities in line with guidelines from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).The review will consider various parameters such as faculty salaries, lab and classroom infrastructure, and other academic inputs while deciding the revised fees. The move also aligns with the Supreme Court's guidance that factors like teaching quality, staff remuneration, and institutional efforts to raise academic standards must be considered in fee determination. This initiative is expected to ensure that engineering colleges in Telangana are better equipped to produce industry-ready graduates and compete with leading institutions worldwide.(With PTI inputs)- Ends
