Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday, 25 June 2026 marked the 51st anniversary of the declaration of the Emergency of 1975 by condemning the Indian National Congress, accusing the party of crushing democracy to cling to power. Dhami posted on X, calling the day Samvidhan Hatya Diwas — the Day of Constitutional Murder — and charged that voices were imprisoned and the soul of the Constitution was wounded.

In his post, Dhami wrote: 'Aapatkal ke bahane Congress ne satta bachane ki zid mein loktantra ko kuchhal diya, aawazein qaid kar di gayin aur Samvidhan ki aatma ko aahat kiya gaya' — translated: 'Using the Emergency as a pretext, Congress, in its desperation to retain power, crushed democracy, imprisoned voices, and wounded the soul of the Constitution.'

Context

On 25 June 1975, the government of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi advised the President of India to proclaim a national Emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution, citing internal disturbance. The proclamation ushered in a 21-month period during which fundamental rights were suspended, press freedom curtailed, and thousands of political opponents detained without trial. The Emergency was lifted in March 1977 after elections were called and the Congress was voted out of power.

Policy Backdrop

Since 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has institutionalised 25 June as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas — a day to publicly recall what it describes as the Congress's assault on constitutional democracy. The observance is deployed in election cycles and parliamentary debates to draw a sharp contrast between the BJP's stated commitment to constitutional governance and what it frames as the Congress's historical record of authoritarian rule. Dhami's post is part of this coordinated annual political messaging.

The hashtag #SamvidhanHatyaDiwas accompanying the post is a recurring BJP campaign marker, typically trending on social media on this date as party leaders across states issue similar statements. The framing positions the Emergency not merely as a historical episode but as a live political argument about which party can be trusted with democratic institutions.

Stakeholders and Impact

The statement is directed primarily at Congress as an institution, invoking the memory of citizens, journalists, and opposition leaders who were detained or silenced during 1975–77. Civil liberties groups and constitutional scholars have long documented the Emergency's toll on press freedom and judicial independence, providing a factual foundation that the BJP draws upon for its annual commemorations.

For the Congress party, the anniversary is a recurring reputational challenge. The party has in past years acknowledged the Emergency as a 'mistake' while arguing that the current political climate poses its own threats to democratic norms — a counter-narrative that Congress spokespersons are expected to reiterate in response to statements like Dhami's.

What's Next

Responses from Congress spokespersons are expected within hours, and parallel statements from other BJP chief ministers and senior party leaders are likely to follow through the day, amplifying the Samvidhan Hatya Diwas narrative across states. The anniversary also tends to surface in parliamentary proceedings when in session, with BJP members raising the Emergency as a historical reference point in debates on civil liberties and constitutional values. How the Congress chooses to respond in 2026 — whether with a counter-offensive or relative silence — will shape the political news cycle heading into the weekend.