Congress yet to offer unconditional apology for imposing Emergency: BJP

New Delhi: BJP president Nitin Nabin on Thursday marked the anniversary of the Emergency by attacking the Congress, describing the 21-month period as one of the darkest chapters in India's democratic history and alleging that the party has yet to offer an "unconditional apology" to the nation for its actions.

The Emergency, imposed by the then Indira Gandhi government on June 25, 1975, remained in force until March 21, 1977. Proclaimed under Article 352 of the Constitution, it granted sweeping powers to the executive, curtailed civil liberties and brought state authority under tighter central control.

In a series of posts in Hindi on X, Nabin said the Emergency was a dark chapter in the history of Indian democracy, during which an attempt was made to "crush the soul of the Constitution".

"On June 12, 1975, the Allahabad High Court had declared the election of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi illegal. After this, priority was given not to national interest but to the interest of power," the BJP chief said.

Also read | ‘A direct assault on our Constitution...’: PM Modi on emergency anniversary

"To save the chair of one person, the freedom of the entire country was held hostage and an attempt was made to crush the constitutional values and democratic dignity established by Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar," he added.

Nabin said the Congress constantly blames the Modi government for various reasons, including its election losses.

"If Parliament doesn't function, it is the government's fault. If (Congress is) defeated in elections, it is the system's fault. If the public doesn't support (Congress), it is the institutions' fault. The biggest question is why has the party that invokes the Constitution not yet offered an unconditional apology to the country for the Emergency," the BJP chief said.

"If there truly was concern for the Constitution, the first thing would have been to seek forgiveness from the country for the crime of murdering democracy," he added.

Former PM Indira Gandhi announced the imposition of the Emergency in an All India Radio broadcast after the Supreme Court granted a conditional stay on an Allahabad High Court order declaring her election to the Lok Sabha null and void.

The Emergency was marked by forced mass sterilisations, curbs on press freedom and the suspension of key constitutional rights.

Since 2025, the Modi government has been observing the anniversary of the imposition of the Emergency as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas'. PTI