New Delhi, June 25 (IANS) As the nation observes 50 years of Emergency, imposed on June 25, 1975, the Union Cabinet passed a resolution on Wednesday to remember the individuals who resisted the subversion of democracy and the Indian Constitution by the then Indira Gandhi dispensation.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Modi, also observed a two-minute silence for those who made sacrifices while fighting the Emergency and were subjected to unimaginable horrors by the then autocratic government.

“The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, resolved to commemorate and honour the sacrifices of countless individuals who valiantly resisted the Emergency and its attempt at subversion of the spirit of Indian Constitution, a subversion which began in 1974 with a heavy-handed attempt at crushing the Navnirman Andolan and Sampoorna Kranti Abhiyan,” said the government statement.

The passage of the resolution by the Cabinet comes amidst an intense war of words between the BJP and the Congress party over the Emergency. BJP has announced to observe the 50 years of Emergency as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ while Congress is calling it an eyewash to hide the ruling party’s own guilt.

“BJP is deliberately doing this type of drama only because of our constant Samvidhan Bachao campaign, as they have a guilty conscience,” Congress leader KC Venugopal said while accusing the government of imposing ‘undeclared Emergency’ for the past 11 years.

Further briefing the media about the Cabinet resolution on Emergency, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the two-minute silence was a tribute to those who were then subjected to unimaginable horrors during the darkest hour of Indian democracy.

“The Union Cabinet paid tributes to their exemplary courage and valiant resistance to the Emergency’s excesses,” he stated.

“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,” he further said.

“The Union Cabinet further reaffirmed that the people repose unflinching faith in the 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,” he remarked.

–IANS

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