Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh addressed a public gathering in Patna on Thursday, 25 June 2026 at a Samvidhan Hatya Diwas (Constitution Murder Day) programme marking the 51st anniversary of the imposition of the 1975 Emergency, pledging that the assault on the Constitution, democracy, and civil liberties during those 21 months must never be forgotten.

Union Minister and former BJP national president J.P. Nadda was also present at the event, lending senior party weight to the commemoration held in Bihar's capital.

Context

Giriraj Singh, posting on X in Hindi, said he participated in the Samvidhan Hatya Diwas programme with the resolve to remember the sacrifices of those who fought to protect democracy and to ensure that the attack on the Constitution during the Emergency is never erased from public memory. He paid tribute to the loktantra senaniyon — democracy warriors — who resisted what he called the dictatorship of the Emergency under the leadership of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan.

The minister also took a direct swipe at the Congress party, stating: 'Kaangres aaj jis samajwad aur garib kalyan ka dhong rachti hai, uska asli aur kroor chehra aapatkaal ke un 21 mahinon mein desh ne dekh liya hai' — 'The true and cruel face of the so-called socialism and welfare for the poor that Congress performs today was witnessed by the country during those 21 months of Emergency.'

Policy Backdrop

The National Emergency was proclaimed on 25 June 1975 by the then Congress government under Article 352 of the Constitution, suspending fundamental rights and civil liberties across the country. It remained in force until March 1977, a period widely regarded as the gravest constitutional crisis in independent India's history.

The central government began formally observing 25 June as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas from 2024, institutionalising the commemoration as an annual reminder of the Emergency's impact on democratic institutions. The observance is anchored in the legacy of Jayaprakash Narayan, whose Sampurna Kranti (Total Revolution) movement galvanised mass opposition to the Indira Gandhi government's authoritarian measures.

Stakeholders and Impact

The Patna event drew BJP workers and supporters from Bihar, the home state of both Giriraj Singh — who represents Begusarai in the Lok Sabha — and Jayaprakash Narayan, lending particular resonance to the gathering. The presence of J.P. Nadda signals the party's intent to keep the Emergency narrative prominent at the national level.

The Congress party, the primary target of the BJP's Emergency-era critique, has consistently contested this framing, arguing that the political context of 1975 is being selectively deployed. Giriraj Singh's address, however, went further than historical remembrance, framing the commemoration as a forward-looking civic responsibility — 'bhavishy ke prati hamari jimmedari' — 'our responsibility towards the future.'

What's Next

With the monsoon session of Parliament approaching, references to the Emergency anniversary are likely to surface in legislative debates, particularly if the Opposition raises constitutional governance issues. Congress is expected to issue counter-narratives, as it has in previous years, challenging both the framing of the Emergency and the BJP's own record on civil liberties and institutional autonomy. The annual observance of Samvidhan Hatya Diwas is now firmly embedded in the BJP's political calendar, and the 2026 edition — held at a significant milestone anniversary — is likely to amplify those exchanges.