Overview
- Modi opened his Independence Day address by characterizing the 1975–77 Emergency as a ‘murder’ of the Constitution and declaring that no generation should forget the assault on democratic freedoms.
- He recounted that the Constitution was violated, democracy was throttled, and India was turned into a prison during the emergency period.
- He urged citizens to strengthen their dedication to the Constitution as the nation marks its 79th Independence Day.
- The government’s 50th-anniversary commemorations include exhibitions and a Cabinet resolution condemning the Emergency and calls from BJP and RSS leaders to review the Preamble’s wording.
- Opposition leaders denounce the anniversary campaign as partisan, warn of current threats to democracy, and oppose any Preamble revisions that could undermine the Constitution’s basic structure.