Mallikarjun Kharge slams PM Modi over Emergency remarks, accuses BJP of hypocrisy on Constitution

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of using the 50th anniversary of the Emergency to deflect attention from his government’s failures. 

Speaking at a press conference, Kharge claimed that the Modi government had issued a circular directing states to observe the Emergency’s anniversary with speeches, letters, and public events, framing it as a 'murder of the Constitution'.

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Kharge, however, dismissed the move as theatrical.

“Those who had no contribution in the making of the Constitution, no role in the freedom struggle, and who once burnt pictures of B.R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Gandhi at Ram Leela Maidan, are now claiming to be protectors of the Constitution," he pointed out.

The Congress chief said it was ironic that the BJP—which had long opposed constitutional values—was now invoking them because it feared growing public support for the Congress’ Samvidhaan Bachao Yatra, a campaign launched a year ago to shield constitutional principles.

Kharge sharpened his attack, saying that this yatra had rattled them.

"After ignoring the Constitution for years, they are suddenly pretending to care about it,” he said.

“What happened to the promises on unemployment, black money and inflation? The government has no answers. That’s the reason they are digging up a 50-year-old event,” he added. He also alleged that the Modi government was using the Emergency narrative to divert attention from pressing issues. 

Kharge also talked about the deepening inequality in the country.

“One side you're making the rich richer, and the poor poorer. The gap has become so astounding that it cannot be bridged. You’ve sold the country's assets by handing everything to a few industrialists,” he said.

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Terming the current BJP rule as an “undeclared emergency", Kharge said that the government was undermining democratic institutions and suppressing dissent.

“This is not a celebration of democracy but an attempt to bury its spirit.”

He also questioned the government's silence on key issues such as the situation in Manipur and recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Why is Manipur burning and the Prime Minister nowhere to be seen? Why has there been no special session in Parliament on Kashmir?” he questioned.

India