Addressing both Houses of Parliament in the first session after the recent Lok Sabha polls, President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday invoked the Emergency of 1975, calling it “the biggest and darkest chapter of direct attack on the Constitution”.
President Murmu’s reference to the Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in her first address to the joint sitting of the two Houses after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha reflected the deep fault line between the Narendra Modi-led NDA government and the principal Opposition Congress, which is likely to make the proceedings of Parliament stormy in the coming days.
It also signalled the Modi government 3.0’s intent to remain on the front foot in taking on the Congress despite the BJP’s tally coming under the majority mark in the Lok Sabha polls, which saw the Congress getting its tally nearly doubled.
The President also made a pointed reference to a major cause of concern for millions of people – alleged paper leaks and irregularities leading to cancellation of UGC-NET, postponement of CSIR UGC-NET and NEET PG, and some retests of NEET (UG) 2024. She said there would be a fair probe into such NEET and NET cases and that the guilty would be punished.
“In a few months, India is going to complete 75 years as a Republic. The Constitution of India has stood up to every challenge and every test in the past decades. Even when the Constitution was in the making, there were forces in the world who wished India to fail. Even after the Constitution came into force, it was attacked many times. Today is 27th June. The imposition of Emergency on 25th June, 1975, was the biggest and darkest chapter of direct attack on the Constitution. The entire country felt outraged. But the country emerged victorious over such unconstitutional forces as the traditions of the Republic lie at the core of India,” President Murmu said.
“My government also does not consider the Constitution of India as just a medium of governance; rather we are making efforts to ensure that our Constitution becomes a part of public consciousness. With this very objective in mind, my government has started celebrating 26th November as Constitution Day,” she added.
Murmu underlined that now “the Constitution has also fully come into force in that part of India, our Jammu and Kashmir, where the conditions were different due to Article 370,” thereby making a reference to the extension of the entire Constitution to J&K after abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 that granted it special status.
The President’s condemnation of the Emergency comes after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar and BJP president and Union Health Minister JP Nadda have taken turns to condemn it since June 24 – the day when Parliament first met after the Lok Sabha polls. Thus, from top constitutional functionaries to the BJP chief – condemnation of the Emergency has been a dominant theme in this Parliament session.
Referring to the paper leaks issue which the Opposition INDIA alliance has been raking up vigorously to target the Modi government, Murmu said, “It is the continuous endeavour of the government to provide right opportunities to the youth of the country to demonstrate their talent. Whether it is competitive examinations or government recruitment there should be no reason for any hindrance. This process requires complete transparency and probity. Regarding the recent instances of paper leak in some examinations, my government is committed to a fair investigation and ensuring strict punishment to the culprits.”
In an oblique reference to the Opposition’s attacks on the government, the President said, “Even earlier, we have witnessed many instances of paper leaks in different states. It is important that we rise above party politics and undertake concrete measures nationwide. Parliament has also enacted a strict law against unfair means in examinations. My government is working towards major reforms in examination related bodies, their functioning and all aspects of the examination process.”
The President said the third straight mandate for the government from the people – a first after 60 years – showed the people’s belief that only this government could fulfil their aspirations.
Murmu highlighted the Lok Sabha elections in J&K, saying “A very heartening aspect of this election emerged from Jammu and Kashmir. The Kashmir Valley broke all records of voter turnout of many decades. In the last four decades, we had witnessed low voter turnout amidst shutdowns and strikes in Kashmir. Enemies of India continued to spread false propaganda at global forums, projecting it as an opinion of Jammu and Kashmir. But this time the Kashmir Valley has given a befitting reply to every such element within the country and outside.” Disapproving of disruptions of Parliament and urging the members to discharge their duties, Murmu said, “We all need to always remember that making India a developed nation is the aspiration and resolve of every citizen of the country. All of us are responsible for ensuring that no obstacles come in the way of achieving this resolution. Opposition of policies and obstruction of parliamentary functioning are two different things. When Parliament conducts its business smoothly, when healthy deliberations take place here, when far-reaching decisions are taken, then the people repose confidence not only in the government but also in the entire system. Therefore, I am confident that every moment of Parliament will be fully utilised and public interest will be given priority.” She went on to say, “In the coming years the decisions taken and policies framed by the government and the Parliament of India will be keenly watched by the whole world. It is the responsibility of every member of Parliament as well as of the government, to ensure the country gets utmost benefits during this favourable period. With the reforms that have taken place in the last 10 years and the new confidence that has been infused in the country, we have gained a new momentum to make India a developed nation.”
The President also projected the achievements of the Modi government over the last 10 years, including its various welfare schemes, such as free ration for 80 crore people, Kisan Samman Nidhi payments to farmers, an 18-fold jump in defence exports, GST collections crossing Rs 2 lakh crore for the first time this April, construction of 4 crore PM Awas Houses, mostly allocated to women, abolition of interviews in recruitment to Group C and D posts in the central government, etc. She made special mention of women, youth, farmers and the poor – four groups PM Modi has been emphasising on – in this regard.
President Murmu expressed the hope that India would become a developed country in Amrit Kaal, saying that it has already earned respect at the global stage as Vishwabandhu (kin of the world). She recounted the recent G7 Summit in Italy and the G-20 Summit held in India last year to reinforce this point. She said Indian sportspersons were now winning medals at the international level, wishing them the best for the forthcoming Paris Olympics.
Also commending the government for honouring icons from marginalised and other communities, Murmu said, “My government started celebrating the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda as Jan Jatiya Gaurav Divas. The 150th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda will be celebrated across the country next year with great enthusiasm. The country is also celebrating the 500th birth anniversary of Rani Durgavati on a large scale. Last month, the country has started the year-long celebration to mark the 300th birth anniversary of Rani Ahilyabai Holkar. Earlier, the government also celebrated the 550th Prakash Parv of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and the 350th Prakash Parv of Guru Gobind Singh Ji with great fervour. The tradition of celebrating festivals like Kashi Tamil Sangamam and Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam in the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ was also initiated by my government. The new generations get inspiration for nation building from these events, and the sense of national pride is made stronger.”
Significantly, the President also defended the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs), which has often drawn the ire of the Opposition. Murmu said, “The people of India have always demonstrated complete trust in democracy and expressed full faith in the electoral institutions. We need to preserve and protect this trust to sustain our robust democracy. We must realise that hurting the faith of people in democratic institutions and the electoral process is like cutting the very branch on which we all are sitting. We should collectively denounce every attempt to undermine the credibility of our democracy. We all remember those times when ballot papers were snatched and looted. To ensure the sanctity of the electoral process, it was decided to use EVMs. The EVM has passed every test, from the Supreme Court to the people’s court, in the last few decades.”
