Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has accused the Congress of undermining institutional independence during its years in power, arguing that the party’s current criticism of constitutional institutions ignores its own record on the judiciary, investigating agencies and the Election Commission.
In an opinion article for Hindustan Times, Majhi said the Congress had treated institutions as extensions of the ruling family’s authority before positioning itself as their defender. He cited episodes spanning the Emergency, appointments to the judiciary, dismissals of state governments and controversies involving election commissioners.
On the judiciary, Majhi referred to the appointment of Justice A.N. Ray as Chief Justice of India in April 1973, after the Supreme Court’s Kesavananda Bharati judgment, which he said was followed by the supersession of three senior judges. He also cited the supersession of Justice H.R. Khanna after his dissent in the ADM Jabalpur case during the Emergency.
Majhi said the 1975-77 Emergency saw civil liberties suspended, press censorship imposed and political opponents detained without trial. He also criticised the dismissal of elected state governments under Article 356, citing the removal of Kerala’s communist government in 1959 and nine opposition-ruled state governments in 1980.
The Chief Minister questioned the independence of the commission headed by Justice Ranganath Misra to investigate the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, noting that Misra later joined the Congress and entered the Rajya Sabha. He also cited the Supreme Court’s 2013 description of the Central Bureau of Investigation as a “caged parrot” during proceedings related to the coal allocation scandal.
{{/usCountry}}The Chief Minister questioned the independence of the commission headed by Justice Ranganath Misra to investigate the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, noting that Misra later joined the Congress and entered the Rajya Sabha. He also cited the Supreme Court’s 2013 description of the Central Bureau of Investigation as a “caged parrot” during proceedings related to the coal allocation scandal.
{{/usCountry}}On the Election Commission, Majhi referred to changes in the number of commissioners under successive Congress governments and the 2009 appointment of Navin Chawla as chief election commissioner, despite a recommendation by the then CEC, N. Gopalaswami, seeking his removal.
Majhi also cited Rahul Gandhi’s 2013 criticism of an ordinance concerning convicted legislators, arguing that it undermined the authority of then prime minister Manmohan Singh.
He said the Congress should acknowledge its past and pursue reforms, including safeguards for election commissioners, greater autonomy for the CBI and transparent appointments. The article presents Majhi’s political assessment of the Congress’s record; it does not include a response from the party.