New Delhi, Aug. 15 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his 79th Independence Day address from the Red Fort on Friday, invoked the 1975 Emergency, terming it a "sin of murdering the Constitution" and urging citizens to stay steadfast in defending democratic values.

Addressing the nation, PM Modi said,"50 years ago, India's Constitution was strangled and backstabbed; the country was turned into a jail. An emergency was imposed. It has been 50 years of the Emergency. No generation in the country should forget this sin of murdering the Constitution. They should not forget the sinners who murdered the Constitution. We should go ahead by further strengthening our dedication to the Constitution of India. That is our inspiration."

The remarks c...