Kolkata (West Bengal) [India]: Hours after the Centre announced that June 25 will be remembered annually as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’ in remembrance of the Emergency declared by the then Indira Gandhi government in 1975, leaders from the opposition INDIA bloc hit back at Bharatiya Janata Party alleging that it has been “murdering” the Constitution every day for the last 10 years.
“Since 2014, BJP has murdered the Constitution every day,” Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Priyanka Kakkar told media on Friday.
Highlighting instances where the ruling BJP was on the “wrong side” of the Constitution, Kakkar said, “Recently, during the Chandigarh mayoral elections, Anil Massi murdered the Constitution on camera and free and fair elections were not taking place. In Delhi, after a 9-year-long fight, the Delhi government got services under it, but the BJP brought a law and negated the SC order. This is the murder of the Constitution.”
Continuing her attack, Kakkar said, “The Constitution was murdered when BJP brought the unconstitutional electoral bonds. Even the Supreme Court said that this is an unconstitutional scheme. This is the murder of the Constitution. This was a constitutional fraud.”
The AAP leader said that had the BJP won more than 400 seats along with its allies, it would have removed reservations in the country.
“We were saved. They were raising “400 paar” slogans but were stopped at 240. Otherwise they would have removed reservations,” she said.
She further slammed the ruling BJP over the “misuse” of central investigative agencies.
“BJP has continuously murdered the Constitution by abusing the CBI and the ED by using them for extortion,” Kakkar said.
Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh also echoed similar sentiments and said while the Emergency episode was an “event in history,” the BJP is trying to play this “old card” to its advantage.
“She (Indira Gandhi) has been criticized, Indira Gandhi lost once and Indira Gandhi came back to power as the Prime Minister. So that chapter was just one page of history and years later BJP is trying to divert attention from its anti-people policy, disasters and the bad condition of the country, they are trying to play this old card,” Ghosh said speaking to reporters on Friday.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Mahua Maji questioned whether the ruling BJP can maintain communal harmony in the country in accordance with the Constitution. Maji also claimed that the BJP wants to mislead people ahead of elections in four states.
“BJP which had raised the slogan of crossing 400 could not get 400 and had to limit itself to 200…INDIA got the mandate that they got because the Constitution was in danger…We should talk about what development are you (BJP) doing at present, in which direction are you taking the country, are you able to maintain communal harmony here as per the Constitution or not…Now elections are going to be held in four states for the BJP. Before the elections, they want to mislead people,” Maji said speaking to media on Friday.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Manoj Jha hit out at the ruling BJP saying that they should hold a mirror in front of them for designating June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Divas. Jha also claimed that people will not fall for their “jumlas” (lies).
“Look who is talking?… They have destroyed the Constitution…They should keep a mirror in front of them. A few years ago Partition Horrors Remembrance Day was announced, but they are not talking about it….The people of India will not fall for your ‘jumlas’ now…” Jha told media.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader Fakhrul Hasan Chaand said that if the Congress cannot be forgiven for the Emergency in 1975, the BJP also cannot be forgiven for the poor state of the country currently.
“The agencies and laws were misused in the BJP government and many leaders from the opposition were troubled. Emergency, whether declared or undeclared, is not right for democracy. It weakens the democracy. If the Congress party cannot be forgiven for the emergency in 1975, BJP cannot be forgiven for today’s situation,” Chaand told media.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also slammed the BJP over the decision and termed it a “headline-grabbing exercise.” He further alleged that the “non-biological” PM had imposed an undeclared Emergency for ten long years.
“Yet another headline-grabbing exercise in hypocrisy by the non-biological PM who had imposed an undeclared Emergency for ten long years before the people of India handed him a decisive personal, political, and moral defeat on June 4, 2024 – which will go down in history as ModiMukti Diwas,” the Congress general secretary said on X.
“This is a non-biological PM who has subjected the Constitution of India and its principles, values, and institutions to systematic assault,” his post added.
He added, “This is a non-biological PM whose ideological parivar had rejected the Constitution of India in Nov 1949 on the grounds that it did not derive inspiration from Manusmriti. This is a non-biological PM for whom democracy means only demo-kursi”.
Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah took to X informing that the government has decided to celebrate 25 June as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ every year.
“On 25 June 1975, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, showing her dictatorial mindset, strangled the soul of Indian democracy by imposing an emergency in the country. Lakhs of people were jailed without any reason and the voice of the media was suppressed. The Government of India has decided to celebrate 25 June every year as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’, Shah wrote in a post on X.
“The decision made by the government led by PM Shri @narendramodi Ji is intended to honour the spirit of millions who struggled to revive democracy despite facing inexplicable persecution at the hands of an oppressive government. The observance of ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’ will help keep the eternal flame of individual freedom and the defence of our democracy alive in every Indian, thus preventing dictatorial forces like the Congress from repeating those horrors,” the Home Minister added.
Appreciating the decision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the 1975 Emergency as a “dark phase of Indian history”.
“To observe 25th June as #SamvidhaanHatyaDiwas will serve as a reminder of what happens when the Constitution of India was trampled over. It is also a day to pay homage to each and every person who suffered due to the excesses of the Emergency, a Congress unleashed dark phase of Indian history,” PM Modi posted on X.
Earlier on June 26, the Lok Sabha adopted a resolution condemning the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as Speaker Om Birla read out the resolution condemning the act and said that June 25, 1975, will always be known as a black chapter in the history of India.