1975 Emergency: PM Modi hails democracy as Opposition says 'super emergency' now

New Delhi, June 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid homage to all "those greats" who resisted the Emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on this day in 1975 and said democracy had prevailed over authoritarianism.

"India salutes all those greats who fiercely and fearlessly resisted the Emergency. India's democratic ethos successfully prevailed over an authoritarian mindset," he tweeted.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to Twitter to highlight how it was one of the darkest chapters in the history of the country.

"The declaration of Emergency on June 25, 1975 and the incidents that followed, mark as one of the darkest chapters in India's history. "On this day, we the people of India should always remember the importance of upholding the integrity of our institutions and the Constitution," he said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah recalled how newspapers were shut and citizens of the country were deprived of their fundamental rights. "Lakhs of patriots suffered to restablish democracy in the country. I salute all those soldiers," he tweeted.

Mamata Banerjee, on the other hand, has written, "Today is the anniversary of the #Emergency declared in 1975. For the last five years, the country went through a 'Super Emergency'. We must learn our lessons from history and fight to safeguard the democratic institutions in the country".

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called for a resolution to never allow repetition of an Emergency-like situation in the country.

"This very day 34 years ago India witnessed one of the biggest assault on its democracy with the imposition of emergency by the then prime minister. Let us resolve never to allow repetition of subversion of the Constitution of this great democracy," Kejriwal tweeted.

Emergency was imposed in India from June 25, 1975 to March 21, 1977.