Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday used the 51st anniversary of the declaration of the Emergency to reaffirm the current government’s commitment to constitutional values, endorsing an article by Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat that drew on the darkest chapter in post-Independence India to argue for the centrality of democratic freedoms and institutional integrity.
In a social media post, the Prime Minister shared Shekhawat’s piece, emphasising that government initiatives such as Seva Parv and Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav are not merely commemorative exercises but active reinforcements of constitutional values, fostering historical awareness, preserving collective memory, and deepening a sense of national belonging among citizens.
Writing in his article, Minister Shekhawat described the Emergency of 1975-77 as one of the most defining stress tests faced by independent India. He argued that the period demonstrated with chilling clarity how democratic institutions can be severely strained when constitutional safeguards are weakened and public freedoms are curtailed by executive overreach.
June 25, 1975 was the date on which then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi proclaimed a nationwide Emergency, suspending fundamental rights, curbing press freedom, and imprisoning thousands of political opponents. The Emergency lasted until March 1977 and remains deeply etched in India’s political memory as a cautionary tale about the fragility of democratic norms when checks and balances are bypassed.
For the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the anniversary of the Emergency has become an occasion to draw a sharp contrast between its governance philosophy and the Congress-era suppression of democratic rights. The Seva Parv, a citizen-service initiative linked to the BJP’s ideological framework, and the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the broader national celebration of 75 years of independence, are positioned as embodiments of a governance model rooted in public participation and constitutional accountability.
The Prime Minister’s decision to publicly amplify Shekhawat’s reflections on this date signals that the Emergency anniversary will continue to feature as a prominent date in the BJP’s political calendar, serving both as a historical reminder and a rallying point for its constitutional narrative.
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