New Delhi, June 29 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi today invoked the memories of the Emergency period (1975-77), calling it a "murder of the Constitution" and warning citizens to remain vigilant against any such threats to democracy.

Without naming the Congress or then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Modi in the123rd episode of his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, strongly criticised the imposition of the Emergency, stating that it not only subverted constitutional values but also reduced the judiciary to a "puppet".

"Those who imposed the Emergency not only murdered the Constitution but also made the judiciary their puppet," he said, adding that the atrocities committed during the 21-month period should never be forgotten. "People were ...