BENGALURU: Continuing his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday alleged that Modi is taking the country towards dictatorship and urged people to stand united to defeat him in the Lok Sabha polls.
“The Constitution, which is under threat, has to be saved and followed. Many have been trying to erase and change it. In the coming polls, if you don’t stand strong and united, the country will certainly degenerate into a dictatorship. It is up to you to choose dictatorship or justifiable living,” he warned.
He was speaking at the valedictory of the ‘Constitution and National Unity’ conference, organized by the Karnataka government’s social welfare department at Palace Grounds.
He alleged that BJP and RSS are hatching a conspiracy to put an end to the Constitution. “Outwardly, Modi says that we (BJP) will safeguard the Constitution. But why have they been using the Enforcement Directorate if they are protecting the Constitution,” he asked.
He alleged that the BJP has been removing elected governments by purchasing democratically elected legislators and taking states into its clutches as happened in Karnataka, Manipur, Goa, and Uttarakhand.
“This experiment has been done all over the country as elected representatives were threatened and taken into their clutches. How good is it for democracy and the Constitution? Modi should tell. It is a jolt to the Constitution and democracy as people elected as per the rules laid down by the Election Commission of India have been targeted. If BJP continues in the same fashion, it will result in the country slipping into a dictatorship,” he said.
He asked people not to be misled and said democracy will survive only if they are vigilant. People in some neighbouring countries were ignorant and ended up being under dictatorship, he added. “The architect of the Constitution, Dr BR Ambedkar, in his last speech to the Constituent Assembly, said we must be determined to defend our independence with the last drop of our blood. But Modi has been sucking the blood,” he charged.
He mocked Modi for claiming the guarantees as his own, though the taxes paid by the people are funding them. “He does not say they are the BJP government’s guarantees either but claims them as his own. If an individual makes such claims, it means he is taking the country towards dictatorship,” he remarked.
He suggested that more awareness programmes be held to save the Constitution and asked people to spread the message. If there is no Constitution, the country will regress to what it was 5,000 years ago, he warned.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah expressed his concern over the trustworthiness of electronic voting machines (EVMs), saying, “We don’t trust machines that are doctored. The Election Commission of India should give due consideration to this.” He said the only way forward for the people is to face the challenge and fight evil forces that are dividing the country on the lines of religion. “Various issues have to be debated with regard to the progress of the country. Kashmir has been part of India and it will remain so in the future,” he said.
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi MP from Chidambaram, Thirumavalavan, said the INDIA bloc has come into existence to safeguard democracy. “We should fight against EVMs. Otherwise, we will not achieve our goal. Modi in Parliament exhorted that they (NDA) will win 400 seats. How can they achieve it, unless there is a conspiracy,” he questioned.
CPI leader D Raja and CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, leaders Prof KM Khadir Mohideen of Muslim League, Manoj Bhattacharya, JMM General Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya, and NK Premachandran among others attacked Modi.
