NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday passed a resolution condemning the proclamation of Emergency in the country 50 years ago and observed a two-minute silence to pay tributes to those whose constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights were taken away and who were then subjected to “unimaginable horrors”.
Reading out the resolution at a press briefing after the cabinet meeting, Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “The Union Cabinet paid tributes to their exemplary courage and valiant resistance to the Emergency’s excesses.”
Under the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Union government had imposed the Emergency on June 25, 1975. Last year, the Modi government announced observing the day as 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas'.
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, 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 were attacked, federalism was undermined, and fundamental rights, human liberty and dignity were suspended,” the resolution read.
The Union Cabinet reaffirmed that the people of India continue to repose unflinching faith in the Indian Constitution and the resilience of the country’s democratic ethos.
“It is as important for the young as it is for the old to draw inspiration from those who resisted dictatorial tendencies and stood firm to defend our Constitution and its democratic fabric," the resolution said.
"India, as the Mother of Democracy, stands as an example of preserving, protecting and safeguarding constitutional values. Let us, as a Nation, renew our resolve to uphold our Constitution and its democratic and federal spirit,” the resolution further read.
