Marking 50 years since the Emergency, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday called the 1975 imposition of Emergency “the first ever assault on the soul of India.”

In a post on X, Kumaraswamy wrote, “It has been 50 years since the dark days of the Emergency. It marked the first ever assault on the soul of India and a brutal suppression of democracy. Half a century has passed since that anti-national act.”

He said the Emergency disrupted the Constitution at a time when India’s young democracy was beginning to flourish. “Democracy means rule of the people… It is not just a system but a value, an ideal, a great tradition,” he said, urging citizens to uphold and protect democratic principles.

The Emergency, declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975, suspended civil liberties, curtailed press freedom, and led to widespread arrests of political opponents. Kumaraswamy said it left a permanent scar on India’s democratic history.

Echoing his sentiments, former Karnataka CM and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai termed the Emergency “a black mark on India’s democratic system.” He added, “The people of India united beyond party lines to resist and safeguard democracy.”

BJP MP and Yuva Morcha chief Tejasvi Surya also condemned the Emergency, calling it “one of the darkest chapters in Independent India’s history.” He said the nation suffered political vendetta, suppression of civil liberties, and intimidation of judiciary under Indira Gandhi’s rule.

“Bharat will never forget the suffering of common citizens, nor forgive the Congress party for its brutal assault on the Constitution,” Surya posted.