A significant press conference was organized at the Bharatiya Janata Party, Chandigarh Pradesh Office on the occasion of "Samvidhan Hatya Diwas" (Constitution Murder Day). The press conference was addressed by former BJP Chandigarh Pradesh President and Himachal Pradesh Co-Incharge Sanjay Tandon and BJP Chandigarh Pradesh President Jatinder Pal Malhotra.
On the occasion, BJP Chandigarh Pradesh Vice Presidents Indira Singh and Bharat Kumar, along with State Media Incharge Ravi Rawat, were also present. Addressing the media, Sanjay Tandon said that June 25, 1975, was the darkest day in the history of Indian democracy, when the then Congress government imposed the Emergency and strangled the Constitution, democracy, and civil liberties.
He stated that it was not merely a political decision but a calculated assault on India's democratic framework. Sanjay Tandon said that Congress has a history of prioritizing power over democratic traditions and values.
He stated that at the time of Independence, most Provincial Congress Committees were believed to have supported Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for the post of Prime Minister, yet Jawaharlal Nehru became Prime Minister. He said that historians and political analysts have debated this issue for decades and that it reflects how democratic traditions within Congress were often sidelined.
He further said that the most extreme manifestation of this mindset was witnessed on June 25, 1975, when the country was virtually turned into a prison to safeguard political power. Lakhs of political activists, social workers, students, journalists, and supporters of democracy were imprisoned without any crime.
Thousands of workers associated with the RSS, Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and opposition parties faced persecution but continued their struggle to protect democracy. Sanjay Tandon said that the Emergency witnessed one of the gravest attacks on press freedom in India's history.
Newspapers were subjected to strict censorship, government approval became mandatory before publishing news, and no report critical of the government was allowed to appear. By silencing the fourth pillar of democracy, Congress demonstrated that power was more important to it than democratic values.
He further stated that the forced sterilization campaign carried out during the Emergency remains one of the darkest chapters of Congress rule. Through administrative pressure, fear, and misuse of government machinery, millions of people were sterilized.
The poor, laborers, villagers, and youth were particularly targeted. In many cases, people were coerced into sterilization in exchange for basic government services and benefits, amounting to a serious violation of human dignity and civil rights. Sanjay Tandon said that it is extremely important for today's youth to understand how the then Congress government undermined democracy.
Young people must know how the spirit of the Constitution was trampled upon, fundamental rights were suspended, the judiciary was pressured, media freedom was curtailed, and every dissenting voice was suppressed. He said that whenever Congress speaks about saving democracy, the nation is reminded of the dark night of June 25, 1975, when democracy itself was imprisoned.
It was only due to the sacrifices and struggles of democracy defenders that the people of India restored democracy in 1977 by defeating Congress. Sanjay Tandon said that through the observance of Constitution Murder Day, the BJP is paying tribute to the fighters who defended democracy and educating the younger generation about this dark chapter of Indian history.
This is not merely a remembrance of the past but a pledge to safeguard democracy and the Constitution so that no government in the future can dare to trample democratic institutions and civil liberties for political power. On this occasion, BJP Chandigarh Pradesh President Jatinder Pal Malhotra said that the Emergency was a blot on the Constitution that deeply wounded India's democratic system.
He stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party has always remained committed to protecting democratic values, constitutional traditions, and citizens' rights. Jatinder Pal Malhotra added that the purpose of observing Constitution Murder Day is to educate youth and citizens about the realities of that period so that society remains vigilant in safeguarding democracy.