Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of staging a “drama” around the 50th anniversary of the Emergency to deflect attention from its governance failures and alleged erosion of democratic values.
Speaking at a press conference at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, Kharge said, “An undeclared Emergency prevails in the country today. The BJP is using the Emergency narrative to hide its failures on inflation, unemployment, corruption, and economic distress.”
Kharge criticized the BJP for observing the day as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas (Constitution Murder Day), claiming that those who had no role in India’s freedom struggle or in drafting the Constitution were now pretending to be its saviors. “The very Constitution that the RSS once rejected and burned copies of is now being used as a political prop,” he said.
He alleged that the Modi government has systematically weakened democratic institutions, curtailed civil liberties, and stifled dissent. “There is no freedom of expression or movement. Journalists are jailed, students are branded traitors, and critics are silenced,” Kharge said, adding that the Constitution is in crisis under the current regime.
The Congress chief also took aim at the Election Commission, calling it a “puppet” of the government and demanding a return to ballot paper voting. “You are not winning elections; your machine is,” he said, referring to electronic voting machines.
Kharge further accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of remaining silent on international matters, including repeated claims by former U.S. President Donald Trump that he prevented a war between India and Pakistan. “Modi is afraid of Trump but wants to be seen as a global leader,” he remarked.
The Congress party, which has been conducting a Samvidhan Bachao Yatra (Save the Constitution March), claims the BJP is rattled by its growing public support and is using the Emergency anniversary to shift focus.
In response, BJP leaders have defended the commemoration, calling it a reminder of the dangers of authoritarianism and a tribute to those who resisted the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975.
