NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the central government, accusing it of undermining democracy through the introduction of three controversial bills that would allow for the removal of the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers if arrested for 30 consecutive days. He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to strip the public of their constitutional right to elect and dismiss governments, effectively handing over that power to central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
“After stealing votes, the BJP is now stealing power. On the final day of Parliament, they introduced three bills, including a constitutional amendment, even though they lack the required two-thirds majority. This move transfers the citizens’ right to form or dismiss a government to institutions like the ED and CBI. It’s akin to running a bulldozer over democracy,” Kharge said.
He made these remarks while addressing newly-appointed presidents of the District Congress Committees (DCC) from Haryana and Madhya Pradesh at the party headquarters in Delhi.
Kharge was referring to The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, which were introduced during the recently concluded Parliament session.
He warned that the bills would empower the BJP to topple opposition governments within 30 days by using arrests as a political weapon. Highlighting the partisan use of investigative agencies, he said, “Out of the 193 opposition leaders facing ED cases, only two have been convicted. Several Chief Ministers and Ministers have been jailed for months, and now the CBI itself admits it lacks evidence.”
Kharge also condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging hypocrisy on corruption. “Modiji speaks loudly about corruption, but those he once labelled as corrupt have now joined the BJP and some have even been made ministers,” he said.
On the issue of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Kharge accused the BJP and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of manipulating voter lists. He said the Supreme Court's observations had exposed their narrative.
“The Prime Minister is misleading the public with talks of infiltrators. The biggest responsibility of district presidents is to remain vigilant for five years. We must carry out constant scrutiny of voter lists to ensure names of our supporters are not unjustly removed by BJP workers or BLOs,” Kharge urged.
The Congress leader's comments reflect growing concern within the opposition over the alleged misuse of constitutional and legal mechanisms for political gain.