Key Points

Kharge’s remarks came as the BJP observed 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' to mark the fifty years of imposition of the Emergency in 1975.

Responding to the Centre’s push to commemorate the event across states, Kharge alleged, “PM Modi is repeatedly invoking a period that the country has moved past. He is making an issue out of something that people have already forgotten.”

Addressing a press conference at Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Kharge called this a politically motivated move, adding that the BJP was rattled by the Congress’s ongoing ‘Samvidhan Bachao Yatra’, started by the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

“The Prime Minister’s sudden interest in the Constitution is only to counter our year-long campaign to protect it. Those who never contributed to the freedom struggle or constitution-making are now claiming to defend it", he said.

Taking a dig at the BJP’s ideological roots, Kharge alleged that members associated with the RSS had once burned photos of Ambedkar, Nehru, and Gandhi at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan and demanded elements of Manusmriti be included in the Constitution.

Criticising the PM Modi government's governance, Kharge said, “This is an undeclared emergency. There’s rising inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crony capitalism. But the government distracts from these issues with such drama.”

He further accused the BJP of favouring select industrialists, ignoring other players, and deepening economic inequalities.

“You’ve handed over the country’s assets to a few. The poor are getting poorer, and the rich richer,” he said.

Kharge also slammed PM Modi for ignoring key national issues.

Referring to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Kharge said the Opposition demanded a special Parliament session and an all-party meeting, but the PM chose to campaign in Bihar instead.

He also questioned PM Modi’s silence on Manipur, where violence continues unabated. “Why is the PM touring foreign nations but not visiting Manipur?”

Raising concerns about media freedom and judicial independence, Kharge claimed that dissenters are labelled anti-national and journalists are being jailed.

“PM Modi doesn’t answer questions or hold press conferences. Only hand-picked journalists get to ask scripted questions", he said.

He also accused the Election Commission of bias and questioned the sudden rise in voter numbers in Maharashtra.

“I’ve fought 13 elections. I’ve never seen such a sudden spike in the voter list,” he said.

"Between the assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, there was a spike of 75,00000 new voters. I've never seen this in my entire life. How can this happen? The Election Commission has become a puppet of the BJP. It is not that the BJP is winning the elections, rather, it is the machines that they've controlled that are making them victorious", Kharge said.

Calling the situation an assault on federalism, Kharge said BJP-ruled states receive favourable treatment while Opposition-ruled states are neglected. “Governors are now used as political tools. The Supreme Court itself had to intervene against governors sitting on bills,” he noted.

- IANS