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Unite to save democracy, says Mallikarjun Kharge at INDIA bloc’s protest
Mallikarjun Kharge also attacked the ruling BJP for passing a bunch of crucial laws in Parliament after throwing Opposition MPs out of the two Houses
NEW DELHI: At the first joint protest of the 28-party Opposition alliance INDIA, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday called for unity, saying democracy was under threat under the Bharatiya Janata Party government and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi alone would not be able to do anything if other parties come together.
Speaking at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, the site of a joint protest against the suspension of 146 MPs during the winter session of Parliament, Kharge said opposition parties came together to form the INDIA bloc because “Modi ji and Shah are trying to destroy democracy and the Constitution.” The Congress president also questioned the suspension of some MPs such as Ramgopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, who he said, “was sitting at a distance, but he was suspended.”
In an apparent reference to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, the senior Congress leader said he was hurt to see a person sitting on a high constitutional post, saying “I belong to a certain community and that is why I have been insulted.”
“You have taken oath to protect the country and act according to the Constitution but you talk about castes inside the House? If you are in such a situation, imagine what will be the situation of a Dalit such as me. When I try to speak in the House, attract your attention (to raise an issue), I never get a chance,” he said.
Top Opposition leaders including Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and Communist Party of India (Marxist) chief Sitaram Yechury were present at the meeting.
Kharge continued: “When women or Dalits are assaulted, farmers are killed and the Constitution is violated, we give notice but we are not even permitted to read the notice. What should I say? Should I say BJP people and its government don’t allow a Dalit to speak? You are sitting in a constitutional post… You should act according to the Constitution. In a democracy, everyone has a right to speak. You can’t snatch away that freedom. We got that freedom from Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar,” he said.
“These people gave us freedom, Kharge said, criticising the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for pushing ahead with the legislative business after evicting the Opposition.
“You threw away all Opposition MPs and passed all laws unopposed. Three criminal laws are such that in the future, all citizens will suffer. They brought similar laws for farmers and workers,” he said.
“When everyone comes together, Modi alone can’t do anything… Modi is so arrogant that even before elections, he boasts about winning 400 seats. But he lost Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh. People who have brought you to power, they also know how to throw you out,” he said.
