The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) maintained the intensity of its ‘Emergency’ charge on Tuesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling it a “dark period” during which “an atmosphere of fear” was created.

Through a series of three tweets early on the morning of 26 June, the PM revisited the politically turbulent period from 1975 to 1977 during the Congress rule under former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

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Modi praised the unwavering resolve of the people who opposed the Emergency, declared by Indira Gandhi on 25 June 1975 under Article 352 of the Indian Constitution. He credited the movement against the Emergency as the driving force behind the ultimate victory of democracy over authoritarianism.

“I salute the courage of all those great women and men who steadfastly resisted the Emergency, which was imposed 43 years ago. Their struggles ensured people power prevailed over authoritarianism and the stifling of civil liberties,” he said.

“India remembers the Emergency as a dark period during which every institution was subverted and an atmosphere of fear was created. Not only people but also ideas and artistic freedom were held hostage to power politics,” added Modi referring to the preventive detention of thousands of protesters and politicians that including top BJP leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani and Arun Jaitley besides Jayaprakash Narayan and Morarji Desai.

Reminding the people of the horrors of the authoritarian period, Modi called for a united commitment to upholding of democratic values and asserted that the basic tenets of our Constitution can never be trampled.

“Let us always work to make our democratic ethos stronger. Writing, debating, deliberating, questioning are vital aspects of our democracy which we are proud of. No force can ever trample the basic tenets of our Constitution,” he said.

I salute the courage of all those great women and men who steadfastly resisted the Emergency, which was imposed 43 years ago. Their struggles ensured people power prevailed over authoritarianism and the stifling of civil liberties.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 26, 2018

India remembers the Emergency as a dark period during which every institution was subverted and an atmosphere of fear was created. Not only people but also ideas and artistic freedom were held hostage to power politics.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 26, 2018

Let us always work to make our democratic ethos stronger. Writing, debating, deliberating, questioning are vital aspects of our democracy which we are proud of. No force can ever trample the basic tenets of our Constitution.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 26, 2018

The Emergency lasted till 21 March 1977. Indira Gandhi was voted out of power in the elections that were held soon after.

On Monday, the BJP leadership shared their experiences from the days of the Emergency on various social media platforms recounting how the period was one that undermined all the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of India.

In its riposte, the Congress highlighted a series of contemporaneous issues that have plagued the society under Modi’s rule. The grand old party raised police brutality, cow vigilantism and attack on press freedom as barbs against the Modi dispensation.

Read More: Congress counters BJP’s Emergency charge with barbs on Modi rule

The party also defended Indira Gandhi with a tweet carrying a news clipping from 24 January 1978 which quoted the Congress leader saying that she owns the responsibility for “the mistake”, referring to the Emergency.