'Headline Grabbing Exercise': Congress Reacts To Centre's 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' Announcement

The Congress' reaction came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the government has decided to observe June 25, the day the Emergency was declared in 1975, as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' to "commemorate the massive contributions of those who endured inhuman pains during the period".

The RJD, the Congress’ ally and the opposition parties’ INDIA bloc constituent, slammed the Modi government for this decision.

Taking a swipe at the decision, the opposition party also said that from now on, every year on November 8, the day when demonetisation was announced in 2016, the people of India will celebrate "Aajivika Hatya Diwas" and a gazette notification will also be issued soon.

Congress General Secretary (In-charge, Communications), Jairam Ramesh in a post on X reacting to the announcement said, "Yet another headline grabbing exercise in hypocrisy by the non-biological PM who had imposed an undeclared Emergency for ten long years before the people of India handed him a decisive personal, political, and moral defeat on June 4, 2024 - which will go down in history as ModiMukti Diwas."

"This is a non-biological PM who has subjected the Constitution of India and its principles, values, and institutions to systematic assault," Ramesh continued.

"This is a non-biological PM whose ideological parivar had rejected the Constitution of India in Nov 1949 on the grounds that it did not derive inspiration from Manusmriti. This is a non-biological PM for whom democracy means only demo-kursi," the Congress leader added.

Kharge alleged the BJP-RSS wants to implement 'Manusmriti' by erasing the Constitution so the rights of Dalits, tribals and backward classes can be attacked.

In a post in Hindi on X, he said, "Narendra Modi ji, in the last 10 years, your government has marked 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' everyday. You have snatched self-respect from every poor and deprived section of the country every moment."

"When a BJP leader urinates on tribals in Madhya Pradesh, or when the police forcibly cremate the Dalit daughter of Hathras in UP, then what else is that if not the murder of the Constitution?" Kharge said.

When a major crime against Dalits is committed every 15 minutes and six Dalit women are raped every day, what else is that if not the murder of the Constitution, he asked.

A gazette notification issued on Friday by the Union Home Ministry notes that Emergency was declared on June 25, 1975, following which there was "gross abuse of power by the government of the day and people of India were subjected to excesses and atrocities".

The people of India have abiding faith in the Constitution and the power of its resilient democracy, it said.

"Therefore, Government of India declares 25th June as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' to pay tribute to all those who suffered and fought against the gross abuse of power during the period of Emergency and to recommit the people of India to not support in any manner such gross abuse of power, in future," says the notification.