Why is Congress Challenging the Observance of 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas'?

Bhopal, June 25 (NationPress) As the country commemorates fifty years since the Emergency was imposed, renewed political tensions are emerging regarding the commemoration of this significant historical event.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has designated June 25 as "Samvidhan Hatya Diwas", a day to reflect on what it describes as the "assassination of the Constitution", which has sparked fierce opposition from the Congress party.

Senior Congress leader Bhaskar Rao Rokde, along with former minister PC Sharma, held a press conference to criticize the BJP's observance.

Rokde revealed that he has submitted a petition to the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking to suspend the state government's declaration to commemorate the day under such a controversial title.

“There is no precedent in the world for observing a day of ‘murder’ with such violent terminology,” Rokde stated, alluding to the term "Hatya Diwas."

He condemned the Union Home Ministry's notification, published in the Extraordinary Gazette on July 11, 2024, which officially marked June 25 as a day to remember the Emergency as a betrayal of constitutional values.

The next day, the Home Minister supported this observance via a tweet, which the Prime Minister also endorsed.

“I cannot comprehend what this observance is meant to achieve,” Rokde commented. He further emphasized that the Emergency is still a matter of historical discourse, with scholars presenting various interpretations of its necessity and consequences.

“Even now, the public remains uncertain about the actual reasons for the Emergency,” he remarked.

Rokde also raised concerns regarding the legitimacy of pensions awarded to those identified as MISA detainees—individuals imprisoned under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act during the Emergency.

The Madhya Pradesh government allocates pensions ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000. “If a law is misapplied, should the government compensate those affected with pensions? There is no such precedent,” he argued.

He alleged that many beneficiaries of the MISA category were never truly detained under the law and called for a comprehensive investigation.

Comparing the struggle during the Emergency to the freedom movement, the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister noted that MISA detainees are now honored as Loktantra Senani. He referred to June 25, 1975, as a dark chapter in democratic history.

On the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, the Chief Minister acknowledged that patriots from the Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh played crucial roles in safeguarding India’s democracy.

He praised leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Morarji Desai for their united resistance. The petition filed in the High Court is poised to reignite discussions about how the Emergency should be remembered—and whether political symbolism is overshadowing historical significance. The state unit of the BJP has yet to respond to the press conference.