NEW DELHI, June 27: President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday described the imposition of Emergency in 1975 as the “biggest and darkest chapter” of direct attack on the Constitution, and said the country emerged victorious over such unconstitutional forces.
Addressing a joint sitting of the Houses after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha, she said when the Constitution was being drafted, there were powers in the world who were hoping that India would fail.
Even after the Constitution came into force, there were several attacks on the Constitution, she noted.
“Today is 27th June. The imposition of Emergency on June 25, 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,” she said.
There were noisy protests by some opposition members when she referred to the Emergency in her address. However, she did not name any leader.
Meanwhile, the Modi government has ensured a dignified life for many families who suffered due to the Partition by granting them Indian nationality under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), President Droupadi Murmu said on Thursday.
Addressing a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha, Murmu referred to the contentious CAA and said the Modi government has started granting citizenship to refugees under the Act.
“It has ensured a dignified life for many families who have suffered due to the Partition. I wish a better future for the families who have been granted citizenship under the CAA,” she said.
The first set of citizenship certificates under the CAA was issued to 14 people in Delhi on May 15. Subsequently, the Union government granted citizenship in West Bengal, Haryana, Uttarakhand and other parts of India.
The CAA was enacted in December 2019 for granting Indian citizenship to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.
After the enactment, the CAA got the president’s assent but the rules under which the Indian citizenship is granted were issued after over four years on March 11.
