Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced on Sunday, 28 June 2026 that he would listen to the 135th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat' at the Chief Minister's residence and subsequently attend an Emergency remembrance event at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Auditorium.

Context

In his post on X, CM Sai wrote: 'Aaj Mukhyamantri Niwas par Pradhanmantri Narendra Modi ji ke lokpriya radio karyakram Mann Ki Baat ke 135ve episode ka shravan karunga aur Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Auditorium mein aayojit Aapatkaal Smriti Karyakram mein sammilit rahunga.' Translated, this reads: 'Today at the Chief Minister's residence I will listen to the 135th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popular radio programme Mann Ki Baat, and will participate in the Emergency remembrance event organised at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Auditorium.'

The two events — a broadcast listening session and a formal memorial gathering — were scheduled for the same day, signalling the state government's alignment with both the national outreach programme and the BJP's annual commemoration of the 1975 Emergency.

Policy Backdrop

'Mann Ki Baat' is Prime Minister Modi's monthly radio address broadcast on All India Radio, in which he speaks directly to citizens on themes ranging from social welfare to cultural achievements. The 135th episode, airing on 29 June 2026, continues a tradition that began in October 2014 and has become a key plank of the Centre's public-communication strategy.

The Emergency remembrance event marks the anniversary of the 25 June 1975 declaration of a national Emergency by the then Congress government under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which suspended civil liberties and lasted until March 1977. The BJP and its ideological affiliates have consistently commemorated this date as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' (Constitution Murder Day), framing it as a cautionary moment in Indian democratic history. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, after whom the auditorium is named, was a founding ideologue of the Jana Sangh — the BJP's predecessor party.

Stakeholders and Impact

For Chhattisgarh, CM Sai's participation in both events underlines the state government's active engagement with the BJP's national narrative. The Emergency memorial, in particular, is expected to draw party workers, elected representatives, and civil-society figures across the state.

The choice of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Auditorium as the venue carries symbolic weight, linking the remembrance of the Emergency to the BJP's ideological lineage. Attendees are likely to include senior state ministers and legislators who share personal or political connections to the JP Movement that opposed Emergency-era rule.

What's Next

The Emergency anniversary events across BJP-governed states are expected to generate coordinated messaging ahead of the party's broader political calendar. In Chhattisgarh, CM Sai's dual participation — in a national broadcast and a state-level memorial — positions the government as actively reinforcing both civic outreach and historical consciousness. How the state follows up these commemorations with legislative or administrative action on civil-liberties themes will be worth watching in the weeks ahead.