Sharp Political Clash Over India’s Democratic Record on 50th Anniversary of Emergency

Remembering the 50th anniversary of the Emergency imposed in 1975, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday described it as one of the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history. He asserted that the violation of constitutional values during that period will never be forgotten.

Image Source: HM Amit Shah on X

Modi accused the then Congress government of suspending fundamental rights, silencing the press, and jailing political leaders, activists, students, and ordinary citizens. 

“It was as if the Congress Government placed democracy under arrest,” Modi said, before stating his government's commitment to uphold constitutional principles and build a developed India that protects the rights of the poor and marginalized.

The Modi government has officially designated June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas (Constitution Murder Day) to mourn the Emergency period. Modi also saluted those who resisted the Emergency, and highlighted their collective struggle that eventually led to the restoration of democracy.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking at an event titled Aapatkaal Ke 50 Saal in New Delhi, emphasized that the Emergency was imposed not for national security but to protect then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s position. 

“Lakhs sacrificed their lives, careers, and families to save democracy. The people of this country will never tolerate dictatorship,” Shah said. He also announced that Modi’s book on the Emergency period will be released. It is said to chronicle the struggles and developments of that era.

The Congress, meanwhile, launched a scathing counterattack, accusing the Modi government of orchestrating what it calls an "Undeclared Emergency@11" over the past eleven years. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the current administration has systematically undermined democratic institutions through attacks on civil liberties, media control, misuse of investigative agencies, and suppression of dissent.

Ramesh cited examples of hate speech, marginalization of minorities and Dalits, and vilification of government critics as signs of a sustained assault on democracy. He accused the government of glorifying Gandhi’s killers, labeling protesting farmers as “Khalistanis,” and dismissing advocates of caste census as “urban Naxals.”

Both sides used the 50th anniversary as a potent political flashpoint. They framed sharply divergent narratives around India’s democratic journey.