Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar attended a felicitation programme for democracy defenders (Loktantra Raksha Senaniyon) in Faridabad, Haryana, on the occasion of Samvidhan Hatya Diwas on 25 June 2026, marking the 51st anniversary of the imposition of the 1975 Emergency. Khattar paid tribute to those who resisted the Emergency and described the period as a dark chapter in Indian history driven by Congress's anti-democratic impulse.

Context

In his post, Khattar stated that 'the nation will never be able to forget the grave injustice and atrocities committed by Congress during the Emergency.' He added that the day serves as a reminder that 'when power turns dictatorial, the people also have the strength to uproot it.' The minister described the Emergency not as a national necessity but as a reflection of 'the anti-democratic mindset of Congress and an individual intoxicated by power.'

Khattar catalogued the specific constitutional violations of that period: suspension of citizens' fundamental rights, censorship of the press — described as the 'fourth pillar of democracy' — silencing of the judiciary, and imprisonment of social activists. He concluded by offering a respectful salute (shraddhapoorn naman) to all democracy fighters who 'sacrificed everything to protect the dignity of the Constitution and democratic values.'

Policy Backdrop

The Internal Emergency was proclaimed across India on 25 June 1975 under Article 352 of the Constitution and remained in force until 21 March 1977. During this period, fundamental rights were suspended, press freedoms were curtailed, and a large number of political opponents and civil society figures were detained under preventive detention laws.

Samvidhan Hatya Diwas — literally 'Constitution Murder Day' — is observed on 25 June each year by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and affiliated organisations to commemorate the Emergency's imposition and honour those who resisted it. The BJP has institutionalised this commemoration as a counter-narrative to Congress's constitutional legacy, using the occasion to draw contrasts between Emergency-era executive overreach and the party's stated commitment to democratic and constitutional norms.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of such felicitation events are Emergency-era democracy fighters — activists, journalists, lawyers, and ordinary citizens who were imprisoned or persecuted between 1975 and 1977. For many of them, now elderly, state-sponsored recognition represents a formal acknowledgement of sacrifices that went largely unremarked for decades after the Emergency's end.

For the Indian National Congress, such commemorations constitute a sustained political challenge, as they keep the Emergency's legacy in public discourse. Opposition parties and civil society observers have periodically questioned whether the BJP's invocation of the Emergency is a genuine constitutional reckoning or a partisan electoral instrument. Journalists' organisations and press freedom advocates have also noted the resonance of Emergency-era press censorship with contemporary debates about media independence.

What's Next

With the next general election cycle approaching, similar state-level Samvidhan Hatya Diwas commemorations are expected to intensify across BJP-governed states, with senior central ministers and chief ministers likely to participate in parallel events. The Emergency narrative is also likely to surface during parliamentary debates on constitutional amendments and civil liberties. Khattar's participation in the Faridabad event signals continued high-level BJP investment in keeping the 1975 Emergency at the centre of India's political memory.