Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma slammed the Congress party on Wednesday, demanding an unconditional apology for imposing the Emergency on June 25, 1975.
While speaking at a youth mock parliament session held at Bhogeswari Phukanani Indoor Stadium in Assam’s Dispur, Sarma marked the 50th anniversary of what he called one of the darkest chapters in Indian democracy.
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Sarma compared the Congress’s silence to historical wrongdoers who have since shown remorse. “The British expressed regret for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and several U.S. Presidents apologized for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yet, Congress has never apologized for dismantling democracy and violating the Constitution during the Emergency,” he said.
He also criticized Congress leaders with family ties to that era, saying they lack the moral right to take oaths in the name of the Constitution.
“Those whose families were responsible for the Emergency should not claim they stand for constitutional values,” he stated.
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Encouraging young people to study the Emergency, Sarma said, “I urge the youth to read the Shah Commission report and other scholarly sources to understand the scale of constitutional abuse. We must make sure such tyranny never returns, and that this country never sees another Indira Gandhi.”
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Sarma wrote, “CONgress must submit an unconditional apology for imposing #Emergency and declare they will never commit such a crime again.”
He also drew attention to the judiciary’s failure during the Emergency. “We look to the Supreme Court as the guardian of our fundamental rights, yet during that period, even the apex court bowed to the government. In a 2:1 verdict, it allowed the suspension of Article 21, the very right to life and liberty,” he said.
Earlier that day, Sarma commemorated Samvidhan Hatya Diwas with a social media tribute. “On the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, we remember the brave men and women who stood up for the Constitution. Their courage and sacrifice brought the Congress to its knees and ended a disgraceful chapter in India’s history,” he wrote.
In 2024, Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas to honor those who endured immense suffering and played a key role in restoring democracy during the Emergency.