Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh slams Congress, INDIA bloc over 'misuse of democracy'
Synopsis
Bengal BJP Minister Dilip Ghosh turned the Opposition's 'democracy is dead' narrative on its head on Tuesday, accusing Congress of misusing democratic freedoms, invoking the Emergency against Akhilesh Yadav, and warning the INDIA bloc ahead of the UP election cycle — all in a single press address.
Key Takeaways
Dilip Ghosh on 13 October accused the Congress and INDIA bloc of 'misusing democracy' by criticising state institutions while claiming democracy had collapsed.
Ghosh warned Akhilesh Yadav to remember the Congress-imposed Emergency before alleging democratic curbs under the BJP government.
Delhi Police had removed Jantar Mantar from designated protest sites; Yadav had called this the BJP's 'biggest defeat.' Ghosh assured no genuine voter would be removed during the ongoing electoral roll scrutiny, echoing a recent Supreme Court assurance.
TMC 's student and youth wings held a protest march from Rajabazar to Park Circus in Kolkata at 2 pm on Tuesday; Mamata Banerjee 's participation was uncertain.
West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, launched a sharp attack on the Opposition, accusing its leaders of misusing democratic freedoms while simultaneously claiming that democracy had ended in India. Speaking to reporters in Newtown, Ghosh directed his remarks at the Congress-led INDIA bloc, which has been intensifying protests against the Centre and the Election Commission.
Ghosh's Charge Against the Opposition
Ghosh did not mince words in his criticism. 'They (the Opposition) claim that democracy has ended in the country, and every day they hurl abuses at the government, the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. They even went to the Supreme Court seeking a resolution, which the public is witnessing. Misusing democracy in this manner is something only the Congress party does, and they will face the consequences for it,' he said.
The minister's remarks reflect a broader Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) counter-narrative against the Opposition coalition's protests, which have centred on allegations of electoral manipulation and curbs on civil liberties.
Attack on Akhilesh Yadav Over Delhi Protest Curbs
Ghosh also took aim at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who had the previous day criticised the Delhi Police's decision to delist Jantar Mantar from designated protest sites, calling it the 'biggest defeat' for the BJP government. Yadav had further suggested that protesters be permitted to demonstrate on Lok Kalyan Marg, where the Prime Minister's official residence is located.
Responding directly, Ghosh said, 'It is because of democracy that you are able to make such statements and take to the streets to protest. The people you are associating with were the ones who imposed the Emergency. Remember what happened to your father and the leaders of that time. So, stop making such unnecessary remarks. The public is watching. The Uttar Pradesh elections are approaching, so prepare well. People may give you another chance, but otherwise, you could face the same fate that Mamata Banerjee faced in West Bengal.'
This is a pointed reference to the Congress's role during the 1975 Emergency — an argument the BJP has deployed repeatedly to contest Opposition claims of democratic regression.
On Voter Roll Scrutiny and Electoral Process
Separately, Ghosh expressed confidence that no genuine voter would be disenfranchised during the ongoing voter-list verification exercise. 'No genuine voter's name will be removed. The Supreme Court has also stated this, and the process is underway. I feel we need to act a little faster and clarify the names that are still under scrutiny,' he said. He added that eligible names must be included and ineligible ones removed, brushing aside what he described as 'excessive politics' over the issue.
TMC's Planned Protests Draw Criticism
Ghosh also commented on the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led march planned in Kolkata on Tuesday, describing it as a worn political tactic from a party that had, in his view, lost public confidence. 'For 15 years, the people gave her an opportunity, and she did whatever she wanted, wrecking Bengal. Now see what we are doing. Bringing in outsiders to make them voters and getting them to vote, this kind of politics will no longer run in the country,' he said, referring to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The TMC's student and youth wings had organised a protest march from Rajabazar to Park Circus, scheduled to begin at 2 pm. It remained unclear at the time of reporting whether Banerjee would participate or whether the party had obtained the requisite police permission for the rally. The march came a day after the party staged a demonstration in New Delhi.
As the INDIA bloc's protest momentum builds ahead of key state elections, the BJP's counter-offensive — framing the Opposition as destabilising democratic institutions — is likely to sharpen further in the weeks ahead.
Point of View
Pivot to the Emergency of 1975 and turn the charge back. It works as political messaging but sidesteps the substantive debate: whether removing Jantar Mantar from protest sites and intensifying voter-roll scrutiny are legitimate administrative decisions or tools of suppression. Yadav's suggestion that protesters be allowed outside the PM's residence was always going to be rejected; using it to label the entire Opposition as anti-democratic is a stretch. The more significant subplot is the voter-list controversy in Bengal, where both sides have incentives to politicise the process ahead of the next cycle — and where judicial oversight, not ministerial assurances, will ultimately carry weight.
NationPress
13 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Dilip Ghosh accuse Congress of misusing democracy?
Ghosh accused the Congress and INDIA bloc of misusing democracy because their leaders simultaneously claim democracy has ended in India while freely criticising the government, the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister, and the Home Minister. He argued this contradiction — protesting and accessing courts while declaring democracy dead — amounts to an abuse of the very freedoms they claim are being curtailed.
What did Akhilesh Yadav say about Delhi protest curbs?
Akhilesh Yadav criticised the Delhi Police's decision to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites, calling it the 'biggest defeat' for the BJP government. He suggested protesters should be allowed to demonstrate on Lok Kalyan Marg, where the Prime Minister's residence is located.
What is the TMC protest march in Kolkata about?
The Trinamool Congress's student and youth wings organised a protest march in Kolkata on 13 October, starting from Rajabazar and proceeding towards Park Circus at 2 pm. The march was directed against both the Centre and the Election Commission, a day after the party demonstrated in New Delhi. Whether Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would participate remained unclear.
What did Ghosh say about the voter roll scrutiny in West Bengal?
Ghosh expressed confidence that no genuine voter's name would be struck off the electoral rolls, citing the Supreme Court's own assurance on the matter. He called for the process to be expedited and for the eligibility of names still under scrutiny to be clarified quickly.
Why did Ghosh invoke the Emergency in his remarks to Akhilesh Yadav?
Ghosh invoked the 1975 Emergency — imposed by the Congress government — to counter Yadav's allegations that the BJP was curbing democratic freedoms. The reference to Yadav's father, Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was jailed during the Emergency, was intended to highlight the Congress's own record of suppressing dissent.
