Is the BJP's Drama a Distraction from Governance Failures?

New Delhi, June 25 (NationPress) Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge harshly criticized the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, alleging that they are exploiting the 50th anniversary of the Emergency to shift focus away from their governance failures and to undermine the Indian Constitution.

Kharge’s statements were made as the BJP commemorated 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' to observe the 50 years since the declaration of the Emergency in 1975.

In response to the government's initiative to celebrate this event nationwide, Kharge claimed, “PM Modi is continuously referencing a time that our nation has left behind. He is trying to make a spectacle out of a chapter that people have largely forgotten.”

During a press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Kharge described this as a politically charged tactic, asserting that the BJP was unsettled by the Congress’s ongoing ‘Samvidhan Bachao Yatra’, led by the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

“The Prime Minister’s newfound concern for the Constitution is merely a reaction to our prolonged campaign to safeguard it. Those who never participated in the freedom struggle or the formation of the Constitution are now pretending to protect it,” he remarked.

Critiquing the BJP's ideological foundation, Kharge asserted that RSS members once desecrated images of Ambedkar, Nehru, and Gandhi at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, and sought to incorporate aspects of Manusmriti into the Constitution.

Addressing the governance issues under PM Modi, Kharge stated, “We are living in an undeclared emergency. There is escalating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crony capitalism. Yet, the government diverts attention from these pressing matters with such theatrics.”

He went on to accuse the BJP of favoring a select group of industrialists while neglecting others, thereby exacerbating economic disparities.

“You’ve transferred the nation’s assets to a privileged few. The impoverished are becoming poorer, while the affluent are becoming wealthier,” he added.

Kharge also criticized PM Modi for overlooking critical national issues.

In light of the recent terrorist incident in Pahalgam, Kharge mentioned that the Opposition called for a special Parliament session and an all-party meeting, but the Prime Minister opted to campaign in Bihar instead.

He further questioned PM Modi’s silence regarding the ongoing violence in Manipur, asking, “Why is the Prime Minister visiting foreign countries but not going to Manipur?”

Expressing concerns about media freedom and judicial independence, Kharge declared that dissenters are branded as anti-national and journalists face imprisonment.

“PM Modi avoids answering queries and refrains from press conferences. Only select journalists are granted the opportunity to pose scripted questions,” he stated.

He also accused the Election Commission of partiality, challenging the sudden increase in voter registration in Maharashtra.

“Having contested 13 elections, I have never witnessed such a rapid increase in the voter list,” he remarked.

“Between the assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, there was a surge of 7.5 million new voters. I’ve never seen anything like this in my lifetime. How could this occur? The Election Commission has become a mere puppet of the BJP. It’s not that the BJP is winning elections; it’s the manipulated systems under their control that are ensuring their victories,” Kharge stated.

Referring to the current situation as an attack on federalism, Kharge noted that BJP-governed states receive preferential treatment while Opposition-led states are sidelined. “Governors are now utilized as political instruments. The Supreme Court itself had to step in against governors delaying bills,” he pointed out.