Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
India Never Bows to Dictatorship
Hindustan Times Delhi
|June 25, 2025
Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the Emergency imposed 50 years ago shook the very foundations of democracy but India overcame that dark chapter because the nation never bows down to dictatorship.
NEW DELHI:
Shah took potshots at the Opposition, particularly the Congress party for accusing the ruling dispensation of disregarding the sanctity of the Constitution, and said the party's leaders should answer whether they were rakshaks (protectors) of the Constitution or bhakshaks (destroyers) when Emergency was imposed.
"Remember the morning when Indira Gandhi announced the Emergency on All India Radio. Was Parliament consulted before this? Were the opposition leaders and citizens taken into confidence... Those who talk about protecting democracy today — were you rakshaks (protectors) of the Constitution back then, or its bhakshaks (destroyers)?" Shah said.
Speaking at an event organised by the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Foundation to mark the 50th anniversary of Emergency that was imposed by the then Congress government led by Indira Gandhi, Shah said it cannot be defined in a single sentence. "...It was the biggest tragedy of independent India."
This story is from the June 25, 2025 edition of Hindustan Times Delhi.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Hindustan Times Delhi
Hindustan Times
Bloom and gloom: GT book IPL final berth; LSG and MI brace for leadership upheaval
The fortunes of three Indian Premier League (IPL) captains diverged sharply on Friday: Shubman Gill powered the Gujarat Titans (GT) into the tournament's final, Rishabh Pant stepped down as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain, and Hardik Pandya was reported to be weighing an exit from the Mumbai Indians (MI).
1 min
May 30, 2026
Hindustan Times
Health cover, welfare drive India's social gains: NFHS
India's impressive economic growth, and the revenue cushion it has generated over the past three-and-a-half decades have allowed it to surmount some of the most acute social sector challenges, and it no longer has to worry about population growth which is already on a declining trajectory.
3 mins
May 30, 2026
Hindustan Times
WHO: First confirmed Ebola recovery in Congo
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday announced the first recovery of a confirmed Ebola patient in the outbreak raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo).
1 min
May 30, 2026
Hindustan Times
HCs must deliver bail rulings within 24 hrs of hearing: Top court
The Supreme Court on Friday issued sweeping and binding directions to all high courts across the country mandating that bail applications be decided on the same day or, at the latest, within 24 hours of hearing, while also fixing a strict threemonth outer limit for pronouncement of reserved judgments.
1 min
May 30, 2026
Hindustan Times
Government to expand its audit of CBSE's on-screen marking system
The Union education ministry is planning to expand its scrutiny of the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) on-screen marking system to include a full audit of the platform's implementation from the tendering process through to actual execution amid concerns over glitches and evaluation-related issues, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.
1 mins
May 30, 2026
Hindustan Times
1% of trade deal left to be finalised: Gor
A U.S. TEAM IS SET TO VISIT INDIA DURING JUNE 1-4 FOR TALKS AIMED AT CONCLUDING AN INTERIM BILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENT
1 min
May 30, 2026
Hindustan Times
A weak monsoon looms as MeT dept lowers its forecast
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday revised its seasonal rainfall forecast downward - from 92% of the long-period average issued in April to 90% - and attached a 60% probability to a deficient season, meaning there is a better-than-even chance that total rainfall falls below the threshold that even qualifies as below-normal.
4 mins
May 30, 2026
Hindustan Times
Cong huddles in Delhi over K'taka transition
The Congress called a meeting of its legislators in Karnataka on Saturday and held marathon meetings in Delhi with Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar on Friday to decide the contours of the new cabinet as the southern state prepared for a chief ministerial transition, a day after Siddaramaiah stepped aside.
1 min
May 30, 2026
Hindustan Times
Crowded Delhi areas may get parking infra
Authorities have identified 27 congestion hotspots across Delhi for new parking infrastructure.
1 min
May 30, 2026
Hindustan Times Delhi
Titans enter final as Shubman ton puts to shade Vaibhav’s 96
For a moment under the lights at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh, it felt like IPL 2026 belonged entirely to a 15-year-old boy who bats without fear and dreams without limits.
2 mins
May 30, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size