Launching a frontal attack on the Congress, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said June 26 must be observed as anti-emergency day, adding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is opposed to any kind of concentration of power as that leads to dictatorship.
"It's pertinent that every Union Minister should go to different important location, particularly state capitals, to observe this day as anti-emergency day and rededicate ourselves towards the cause," Rijiju told the media in Hyderabad on the 41st anniversary of Emergency.
"That is what happened 41 years back when the then Prime Minister became a dictator and democracy was suspended," he added while stating that the BJP is opposed to any kind of concentration of power.
Rijiju earlier tweeted India is proudly titled as world's largest democracy and said that one should value freedom.
Meanwhile, Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu said that former prime minister Indira Gandhi had enforced emergency to save her chair.
Addressing an Anti-Emergency Day function at the BJP Headquarters in Chandigarh, he said the people, who fought for freedom during emergency, are freedom fighters and need to be remembered.
Prabhu said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government does not want emergency to be enforced in the country ever.
Prime Minister Modi on his part dubbed the 1975 emergency period as a black day for the country and expressed his delight over the fact that the people in India have always given importance to democracy.
"Very often 'Mann Ki Baat' is criticised, but this is possible because we are in a democracy. Do you remember June 25-26, 1975...it was the darkest night for democracy. Democracy is our strength and we will have to always make our democratic fabric stronger," Prime Minister Modi said while addressing the nation in the 21st edition of his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme.
Stating that though the people were enjoying complete democracy now, Prime Minister Modi said there was a time in 1975 when the freedom of the people were curbed and 1,000 of political activists and student leaders were imprisoned without any reason.
"People's participation is essential in a democracy. I am happy that people in my country have always given importance to democracy. There was a day when voice of people was trampled over but now, the people of India express their views how the Government is doing," he added.
