The Congress party on Thursday claimed that the Narendra Modi-led Central government is planning a special session of Parliament next month to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, alleging it is a deliberate attempt to sideline more urgent national matters.
According to Congress General Secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, the proposed session is expected to be held on June 25-26, coinciding with the date on which the Emergency was declared in 1975. &ldquo;Now it appears that a special session of Parliament is being considered for June 25&ndash;26 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Emergency,&rdquo; Ramesh said in a post on X.
He criticised the move as a strategy to shift focus from critical issues such as the recent Pahalgam terror attack and India&rsquo;s subsequent military response. &ldquo;This will be yet another classic exercise in diversion and distraction from real and more urgent issues by the PM &mdash; the man who has placed the nation under an undeclared Emergency for 11 years and the man who refuses to answer why the Pahalgam terrorists are still absconding, why he allowed President Trump to broker a ceasefire, and why he gave a clean chit to China publicly on June 19, 2020?&rdquo; Ramesh stated.
Ramesh pointed out that following the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which resulted in 26 deaths, the Congress had immediately called for an all-party meeting to be convened under the Prime Minister&rsquo;s leadership to address the fallout.&nbsp;
&ldquo;From the night of April 22 itself, the Indian National Congress has been calling for an all-party meeting on the Pahalgam terror attack and its fallout to be chaired by the Prime Minister himself. That has yet to take place,&rdquo; he said.
He further noted that on May 10, the Leaders of Opposition in both Houses of Parliament had written to the Prime Minister, requesting the government to convene a special session to adopt a resolution demonstrating national unity. &ldquo;On May 10, both the LoP in the Lok Sabha and the LoP in the Rajya Sabha wrote to the PM requesting for a special session of Parliament to be convened and to demonstrate the nation's collective resolve through a resolution. The PM has NOT accepted that suggestion as well,&rdquo; he said.
India responded to the attack by carrying out precision airstrikes under &lsquo;Operation Sindoor&rsquo; on May 7, targeting at least nine terror camps in Pakistan. In retaliation, Pakistan launched a series of attacks on Indian military installations on May 8-10. Indian forces responded with forceful counter-attacks, engaging in four days of intense cross-border missile and drone exchanges.
An understanding to end hostilities was reached on May 10. That same day, US President Donald Trump claimed that the ceasefire was the result of negotiations mediated by Washington. &ldquo;India and Pakistan agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after a long night of talks mediated by the United States,&rdquo; Trump said.
The Congress has continued to demand an explanation from Prime Minister Modi regarding these claims. &ldquo;The Congress has been asking the Prime Minister to break his silence on the Trump administration's repeated claims on how the India-Pakistan 'ceasefire' was brought about,&rdquo; Ramesh said.
In 2024, the Central government had designated June 25 as &ldquo;Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas&rdquo; to honour the sacrifices of those who endured what it called the &ldquo;inhuman pains&rdquo; of the Emergency period.
As of now, the government and the Bharatiya Janata Party have not issued any official response to the Congress party&rsquo;s allegations.
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(Left) Jairam Ramesh and PM Narendra Modi (Right)

Congress accuses Modi government of planning Emergency anniversary session to divert focus from key national issues.

Congress Demands Focus on Pahalgam, Not Emergency

Congress accuses Modi government of planning Emergency anniversary session to divert focus from key national issues.

May 29, 2025 | 14:49 IST