He also referred to the mass arrests of people without cause and the suppression of press freedom at that time. Shah added that the central government had decided to observe June 25 as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' to remind the public of the achievements of the people who had to suffer during the Emergency.

“…The Government of India declares June 25 as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' to pay tribute to all those who suffered and fought against the gross abuse of power during the Emergency and to recommit to the people of India not to support in any way such gross abuse of power in future,” said an official statement released by Shah.

Prime Minister Modi reacts to the announcement of ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’

Commenting on the announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the June 25 commemoration would serve as a reminder of “what happened when the Constitution was trampled upon.”

He reiterated Shah's statement that the day should be observed as a memorial for the victims of the Emergency, “a dark phase in Indian history triggered by the Congress”.

Congress calls decision a publicity stunt

In response, senior Congress MP Jairam Ramesh described the development as a publicity stunt by the Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

“Another headline-grabbing exercise in hypocrisy by the non-biological Prime Minister who imposed an undeclared state of emergency for ten long years,” Ramesh said in a post on X, adding that Modi's “state of emergency” ended on June 4 after the public inflicted on him a “decisive personal, political and moral defeat”.

“June 4, 2024 will go down in history as Modi Mukti Diwas…,” said Ramesh.

He also sharply criticized Prime Minister Modi for his alleged attempt to systematically attack the Constitution, claiming that for him, democracy only means “demo-kursi” (power).