Bengaluru, June 25 (IANS) Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy stated on Wednesday that the imposition of emergency by former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi was the first ever assault on the soul of India.

Commenting on social media X, Kumaraswamy stated, “It has been 50 years since the dark days of the Emergency. It marked the first ever assault on the soul of India and a brutal suppression of democracy. Half a century has passed since that anti-national act.”

At a time when the seeds of freedom were beginning to bear the fruits of a great democratic tree, the then Prime Minister brought a disruptive twist to the Constitution through an anti-people decision that the nation condemned then – and must continue to condemn even today, Kumaraswamy stated.

On June 25, 1975, democracy and the hopes and aspirations of all Indians were crushed. The Congress government led by former PM late Indira Gandhi left a black mark on the glorious history of India, Kumaraswamy noted.

“Democracy means the rule of the people. It is the unique principle of self-governance. Such a noble ideal must never again be violated,” he emphasised.

He said that democracy is not just a system — it is a value, an ideal, a self-belief, a great tradition. “Let us all take a pledge to uphold and protect the values of democracy,” Kumaraswamy stated.

Former CM and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai stated, “The Emergency was a black mark on India’s democratic system. The imposition of the Emergency remains a dark chapter in the nation’s history.”

During that period, the people of India demonstrated that they could unite and resist — socially, culturally, and beyond party lines — to safeguard democracy, Bommai stated.

“Let us remember and pay tribute to the seniors who fought against the Emergency,” he underlined.

The National President of BJP Yuva Morcha and BJP MP from Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya, stated, “Today marks 50 years of Emergency, one of the darkest chapters in Independent India’s history. From political vendetta against opposition to the suppression of civil liberties and intimidation of judicial officers – the entire nation was a victim of Indira Gandhi’s authoritarianism.”

Bharat will never forget the suffering of common citizens, nor forgive the Congress party for its brutal assault on the Constitution, Surya stated.

–IANS

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