BJP Accuses Congress of Murdering Constitution
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday slammed the Congress for imposing the Emergency 51 years ago, marking the day as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad accused the grand old party of murdering the Constitution and hypocritically teaching constitutional values today.
"Shameless Congress leaders murdered all shades of Constitution. Today they flash the Constitution at us," Prasad said at a press conference. He recalled how Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then a young RSS Pracharak, disguised himself as a Sikh to consolidate anti-Emergency voices across north India, carrying messages while evading law enforcement.
Jayaprakash Narayan and Morarji Desai Arrested Together
Prasad also narrated how Jayaprakash Narayan and Morarji Desai were arrested and held at the same Haryana guest house but were not allowed to meet or even have breakfast together. "They said they can meet in the presence of security. Even that was disallowed," he said, noting that the Emergency was first promulgated and cabinet approval taken later.
The BJP leader targeted the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Samajwadi Party for supporting Congress today, despite their patriarchs Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh being jailed during the Emergency. He also highlighted that the Congress dismissed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government in Tamil Nadu.
PM Modi Pays Homage to Democracy Defenders
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to those who defended democratic values during what he called "one of the darkest chapters in India's history." In a post on X, Modi said: "The Emergency was a direct assault on our Constitution. It witnessed the suspension of civil liberties, curbs on freedom of expression, arrests of political leaders, journalists, social workers and an assault on institutions that are the bedrock of our democracy."
Modi added that the dark period also revealed the extraordinary courage of countless citizens who refused to remain silent and upheld the ideals enshrined in the Constitution. "For all of us, our Constitution is an embodiment of the aspirations, rights and duties of 140 crore Indians. We reaffirm our collective commitment to safeguarding constitutional values," he wrote.
Lessons from Emergency and West Bengal Elections
Prasad concluded that the lesson from the Emergency and the recent West Bengal elections was that India will not tolerate injustice. He referred to the post-Emergency defeat of Indira Gandhi and the Mamata Banerjee-led rout in Bengal as evidence of public rejection of authoritarianism.
