Hardeep Singh Puri Slams Congress on 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas', Recalls Emergency-Era Abuses

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi: Marking 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' (Constitution Murder Day), Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri delivered a pointed critique of the Congress party, recalling the 1975 Emergency as a dark chapter in India's democratic journey. Speaking at a commemorative event, Puri said that the Emergency wasn't just a political misstep but a complete betrayal of constitutional values and civil liberties.

“Democracy is in the bloodstream of every Indian,” Puri stated. “But at the time of Emergency, the whole nation was living in fear.” He highlighted how more than 1,11,000 people—including activists, journalists, students, labour leaders, and innocent civilians—were imprisoned without trial as civil liberties and fundamental rights were suspended across the country.

Blaming the Congress party squarely, Puri accused it of "killing the Constitution" in a bid to cling to power. “They did this for power,” he said, adding that even prominent leaders such as Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad were jailed overnight, merely for standing by democratic principles.