New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): As the Centre marks the 50th anniversary of the Emergency as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas', Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress party over the imposition of Emergency in 1975, terming it as the 'darkest chapter' in India's democratic history.

Congress responded to the remarks made by the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, accusing the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using the 50th anniversary of the Emergency to divert public attention from issues like unemployment, inflation and demonetisation.

Earlier on Wednesday, in a series of posts on X, Prime Minister Modi said that the Congress government in 1975 had put democracy under arrest.

'Today marks fifty years since one of the darkest chapters in India's democratic history, the imposition of the Emergency. The people of India mark this day as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas. 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,' PM Modi wrote.

PM Modi added that no Indian will ever forget the manner in which the spirit of our Constitution was violated.

'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. The 42nd Amendment is a prime example of their shenanigans. The poor, marginalised and downtrodden were particularly targeted, including their dignity insulted,' he added.

Saluting those who fought against the Emergency, Prime Minister pointed out that Congress was forced to restore democracy and fresh elections were called upon.

'These were the people from all over India, from all walks of life, from diverse ideologies who worked closely with each other with one aim: to protect India's democratic fabric and to preserve the ideals for which our freedom fighters devoted their lives. It was their collective struggle that ensured that the then Congress Government had to restore democracy and call for fresh elections, which they badly lost,' he said.

Between 25 June 1975 and 21 March 1977, India was placed under a state of Emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution. On 25 June 1975, the then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed issued the Emergency proclamation under Article 352, citing threats from internal disturbance. This was the third Emergency in India's history, but the first one declared in peacetime. Earlier proclamations were during wars with China (1962) and Pakistan (1971).

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using the 50th anniversary of the Emergency to divert public attention from issues like unemployment, inflation and demonetisation.

Kharge said the Modi-led government was trying to cover up its 'failures and repeated lies' by marking the day as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' and focusing on a chapter of history that had ended decades ago.

Addressing a press conference, Kharge said, 'We are facing an undeclared emergency in the country today... The BJP got rattled by our 'Samvidhan Bachao Yatra' and started talking about 50 years of Emergency. Those who could not do much during their tenure, also could not give any answers on issues of unemployment, inflation and demonetisation, are doing this (marking 50 years of imposition of Emergency as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas) to hide their failures and repeated lies.'

He criticised the Prime Minister for instructing states to officially observe the Emergency anniversary.'The PM on behalf of the government has taken out a circular directing all states to mark the 50 years of Emergency as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas,' Kharge said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday slammed the 'Emergency' imposed in 1975, calling it an 'era of injustice' driven by the Congress party's 'hunger for power'.

In a post on X, Shah wrote, 'The 'Emergency' was an 'era of injustice' driven by Congress's hunger for power. The Emergency imposed on June 25, 1975, caused immense pain and suffering to the people of the nation. To ensure that the new generation understands this, the Modi government has named this day Samvidhan Hatya Diwas. This day reminds us that when power turns into dictatorship, the people have the strength to uproot it.'

The Indira Gandhi government had imposed the Emergency on June 25, 1975. The day is observed by the government as 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas.'The meeting of the Union Cabinet was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Senior journalist Rajat Sharma, who was jailed for 10 months during the Emergency, recalled the 'dark night' when it was imposed and senior political leaders arrested, the struggles he endured and his attempts to keep up the flame of democracy and flow of information by bringing out a 'cyclostyled newspaper' that was then delivered to homes of people.

In an interview with ANI, Rajat Sharma recalled being part of Jayaprakash Narayan's student protest. The senior journalist, who is Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of INDIA TV, recounted facing police sticks after arrest but not having fear in his mind.

'I still remember that particular dark night almost 50 years ago when Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency to save her chair. We were all a part of Jayaprakash Narayan's student protest. We got to know that all big leaders of the country, including Jayaprakash Narayan, Morarji Desai, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prakash Singh Badal, Chaudhary Charan Singh, Raj Narayan, LK Advani, all of them were arrested and sent to different places in the country, like Ambala, Rohtak, Bengaluru,' Rajat Sharma said.

Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for observing Emergency Day as a 'black day', saying that the party is tarnishing the very Constitution that gave it power.

The CM also reaffirmed Congress' role in building democracy in India and called the BJP's criticism an insult to democratic values.

'Congress established democracy and framed the Constitution. Today, BJP is observing 'Murder of Democracy Day' by defaming that very Constitution. It is this Constitution that brought them to power, and now they are disrespecting it,' Sukhu said, taking a direct dig at the BJP government's campaign of observing June 25 as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas.'

The Indira Gandhi government had imposed the Emergency on June 25, 1975. The day is observed by the government as 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas 'The meeting of the Union Cabinet was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Union Cabinet resolved to commemorate and honour the sacrifices of countless individuals who valiantly resisted the Emergency and its attempt 'at subversion of the spirit of the Indian Constitution, a subversion which began in 1974 with a heavy-handed attempt at crushing the Navnirman Andolan and Sampoorna Kranti Abhiyan'.

'The year 2025 marks 50 years of the Samvidhan Hatya Diwas - an unforgettable chapter in the history of India where the Constitution was subverted, the Republic and democratic spirit of India was attacked, federalism was undermined, and fundamental rights, human liberty and dignity were suspended,' the resolution said. (ANI)