NEW DELHI: Condemning the ‘bulldozer justice’ employed by the BJP-ruled state governments, Congress on Saturday said that the repeated targeting of minorities was deeply troubling.
The party’s response came after the house of local leader Shahzad Ali was demolished in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district. Ali was accused of indulging in violence during a protest on Wednesday.
“Demolishing someone’s home and rendering his family homeless is both inhumane and unjust. Such actions have no place in a society governed by Rule of Law. The repeated targeting of minorities in BJP-ruled states is deeply troubling,” Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said on X.
He accused the BJP-ruled states of using bulldozing as a tactic to instill fear among citizens. “Anarchy cannot replace natural justice. Offences must be adjudicated in courts, not through State-sponsored coercion,” Kharge added.
Echoing the views, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said there should be a difference between lawmakers, law keepers and lawbreakers. “Governments cannot behave like criminals. Obeying the law, Constitution, democracy and humanity is the minimum condition of governance in a civilised society. One who cannot fulfill rajdharma can neither work for the welfare of the society nor the country. Bulldozer justice is completely unacceptable, it must stop,” she said.
The Congress leader said only courts could decide on crime and punishment. “Punishing the family of the accused as soon as the allegation is made, taking away the roof from their heads, not following the law, disobeying the court — this is not justice. This is the height of barbarism and injustice,” she said.