Election Commission has become PM Modi's 'puppet': Mallikarjun Kharge
The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha also accused PM Modi of seeking to divide society and said he chose to be on a "maun vrat" (vow of silence) on important issues during the auspicious month of Shravan.
Addressing the inaugural event of the day-long conference on 'Constitutional Challenges - Perspectives and Pathways', he claimed the Constitution was in danger under PM Modi and the BJP rule, and asserted that it is the duty of every Congress leader and worker to protect it.
"We all know that the Constitution of India is not just a legal document, but the soul of our democracy. It grants every Indian the right to justice, freedom, equality and fraternity.
"But today, the Constitution is in danger. Leaders in power are talking about changing the Constitution. If the BJP had won 400 seats in the 2024 elections, they would have changed the Constitution. But this is the strength of the country's people, they gave a tight slap on the face of those who were saying '400 paar'," Kharge said.
He said it is the achievement of the Congress, credit for which goes to Rahul Gandhi, who "did not abandon the Constitution and launched a campaign to save it".
Claiming that 65 lakh voters were being disenfranchised in Bihar under the SIR, he said the EC "wants to take away" the voting rights of all the poor and marginalised and minorities, who would otherwise vote for the Congress as they were "fed up" with the BJP rule.
Alleging that voters were "changed" in the Maharashtra Assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections, he said the Congress now has "proof" as Rahul Gandhi also explained how voters were changed in an assembly constituency in Karnataka.
He said, "How can there be nine voters in a small room and nine thousand voters in a single hostel in Maharashtra? "Then you should understand this: Is this Election Commission or Modi ji's puppet?" The Congress has also been questioning the turnout figures in the Maharashtra Assembly election last year which was won by the BJP-led alliance. The Election Commission has dismissed allegations of irregularities as "unfounded". The BJP has alleged that the Congress is attacking constitutional bodies as it is unable to accept its successive defeats.
At the conference, Mr. Kharge also alleged that discrimination against minorities and Dalits has become a common practice in BJP-ruled states.
The Congress chief also accused Prime Minister Modi of trying to polarise society with his statements during the elections.
"He always talks about chicken, Mughals, Mangal-sutra in elections and he always talks about dividing the society. The people of the country chose him and elected him to protect the Constitution, but he is working to crush it.
"If anyone is crushing the Constitution, it is the Prime Minister and the BJP," he alleged.
Taking on the PM, Mr. Kharge said Prime Minister Modi sits in his office after coming to Parliament and does not attend the House.
"He watches the proceedings of Parliament on TV there. If you just want to watch the proceedings, come to the House and see it face-to-face. I don't understand what he is afraid of," Mr. Kharge said.
Noting that a battle of ideologies is going on in the country, he said while the Congress is protecting the Constitution, the BJP is attacking it.
"The soul of India is enshrined in the Constitution. It is the strength of every citizen, their right to move forward and live with dignity. We will protect the Constitution at all costs," he stressed.
Claiming that the Opposition's voice was being stifled in Parliament, Mr. Kharge said former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar was used by the government to do that in the Rajya Sabha.
He claimed that Mr. Dhankhar would suspend opposition MPs and not allow them to speak, but when he started asserting that he was independent, he was "threatened and pressured".
He claimed that when Mr. Dhankhar allowed a notice for the Opposition's motion to remove Justice Yashwant Varma, he was "threatened and pressured" by the government.
The Congress president also claimed that people from the BJP said the words 'Socialist and Secular' should be removed from the Preamble of the Constitution, but the BJP has kept the words 'Socialist' and 'Secular' in the party constitution.
"People from BJP-RSS cannot remove the words Socialist and Secular, because they do not have the power that the people of this country have," he said.
Mr. Kharge said the responsibility of protecting democracy lies with the judiciary, the election commission and the media.
But a judge used derogatory words for people of a particular religion and no action was taken against him and the government removed the Chief Justice of India from the process of appointing the Chief Election Commissioner, he said. "In such a situation, this is not democracy, but dictatorship," Mr. Kharge alleged.
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