Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Sunday, 28 June 2026 took to X to observe 25 June as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' (Constitution Murder Day), expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for institutionalising the commemoration and disclosing that his own family had suffered during the Emergency era.

Context

In his post, CM Sai wrote: '25 June ko pura desh Samvidhan Hatya Diwas ke roop mein manata hai' — 'The entire country observes 25 June as Constitution Murder Day.' He thanked Prime Minister Modi 'from the heart' for this recognition and added a personal dimension, stating, 'Our family too has endured the pain of that difficult period of the Emergency.'

25 June 1975 marks the date on which then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed a nationwide Emergency, suspending fundamental rights and civil liberties for 21 months until March 1977. The period saw mass arrests of opposition leaders, press censorship, and the suspension of elections — events that remain deeply contested in Indian political memory.

Policy Backdrop

The BJP-led central government formally designated 25 June as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' (Constitution Murder Day) in 2024, directing that the day be observed across the country each year to remind citizens of what the ruling party describes as an assault on democratic and constitutional values. The move was part of a broader political effort by the BJP to keep the legacy of the Emergency — and the Congress party's role in it — in public discourse.

CM Sai's post, coming three days after the 51st anniversary of the Emergency's imposition, reflects the ruling party's continued emphasis on the commemoration at both the national and state levels. His personal testimony — invoking his family's suffering — adds a ground-level human dimension to what is otherwise a top-down political observance.

Stakeholders and Impact

For the BJP and its affiliated organisations, Samvidhan Hatya Diwas serves as an annual occasion to contrast their governance record with the Congress-era Emergency. For the opposition, particularly the Indian National Congress, the framing is contentious; Congress has historically argued that the Emergency was a response to extraordinary political circumstances and has rejected the 'Constitution murder' characterisation.

At the state level in Chhattisgarh, CM Sai's public statement signals that the BJP government intends to actively observe the day, potentially through official programmes, awareness campaigns in schools, and party-led events. Citizens and civil society groups in the state who lived through or study the Emergency period are likely to engage with these commemorations in varying ways.

What's Next

With Samvidhan Hatya Diwas now an institutionalised annual observance, state governments led by the BJP are expected to deepen its reach through educational and administrative channels in the coming years. CM Sai's personal account of family hardship during the Emergency may also prompt similar testimonies from other BJP leaders, reinforcing the party's broader narrative ahead of future electoral cycles. The tension between the BJP's framing of the Emergency as a constitutional catastrophe and the opposition's counter-narrative is likely to intensify each year as the anniversary approaches.