Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has defended the imposition of the 1975 Emergency, arguing that it was necessary to ensure national security and to prevent anarchy. He criticized the BJP, questioning their commitment to upholding the Constitution, and suggested that even Atal Bihari Vajpayee would have imposed an emergency in similar circumstances.
Raut spoke on the occasion of Samvidhan Hatya Divas, commemorating the Emergency, and noted that it had been 50 years since the event, implying that the public had largely moved on. He highlighted that the Emergency was imposed to counteract attempts to create chaos and that Shiv Sena’s founder, Balasaheb Thackeray, had supported it for the same reasons.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the government’s decision to mark June 25 as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’, calling it a hypocritical move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jairam Ramesh of Congress labeled it as another example of BJP’s double standards, especially given their actions during the Modi administration, which he likened to an undeclared emergency.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP fell short of a majority with 240 seats, while the NDA secured 293 seats. The Congress won 99 seats, and the INDIA bloc, including two independents who pledged support, reached 236 seats.
The Ministry of Home Affairs announced in a gazette notification that June 25 would be observed as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’ to honor those who suffered during the Emergency and to reaffirm the nation’s commitment to preventing such abuses of power in the future.
