Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge skipped the Independence Day function at the Red Fort from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation.
IMAGE: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge unfurls the national flag at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi. Photograph: @INCIndia/Twitter
A chair reserved for Kharge, who is also the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, was seen empty during the Independence Day function at the Red Fort.
He, however, unfurled the national flag at his residence and later at the Congress headquarters where the Independence Day function was also attended by Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders.
Congress leader Manickam Tagore said they celebrated Independence Day with the people of the country.
“When Lok Sabha opposition leader suspended… When MPs are suspended for an indefinite period… When opposition leaders’ speeches are expunged if we mention Adani… When mikes are switched off… what else we can do? We celebrate Independence Day with people,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Congress president, however, issued a video address in which, without naming Modi, said some people think India has been developing only in the past few years.
He also lauded the contribution of former prime ministers, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee who, he said, always worked for the country and took many steps for progress and development.
“It pains me to say that today, democracy, Constitution and autonomous institutions – all three are in great danger,” he lamented.
Noting that democracy and the Constitution are the soul of the country, he said on the occasion of this Independence Day, “we take a pledge that we will uphold the freedom of democracy and Constitution for the unity and integrity of the country, for love and brotherhood, for harmony and fraternity”.
“With this determination, once again I extend my warmest wishes to all of you on Independence Day. ‘Bharat Judega, INDIA Jeetega’,” he said, referring to the tagline of the opposition alliance.
“New tactics are being adopted to suppress the voice of the opposition. Raids by CBI, ED, Income Tax are happening, Election Commission is being weakened. Efforts are being made to suppress the voice of opposition MPs in Parliament by suspending them. Someone’s mic is going off or someone’s words are getting expunged. Privilege motions are being brought,” the Congress chief said.
In the coming times, people may not believe that there was a time when people from the ruling party used to block proceedings of Parliament, he noted, targeting the current dispensation.
“Great people don’t erase old history to write new history. They draw their line big, they don’t make the already drawn line smaller by cutting or erasing it,” Kharge said.
He alleged that the government is claiming credit for schemes of previous governments just by changing their names.
“Democracy is being torn to shreds by distorting the old constitutional systems that have been running for decades, giving new dimensions to dictatorship. And now, they are trying to create history by renaming old laws, which provided stability and peace to the country,” he said.
Taking a dig at the prime minister, he said, “First, they talked about ‘acche din’, then, they talked about ‘New India’, And now they talk about ‘Amrit Kaal’. Isn’t this a name change to hide his failures.”
Referring to Manipur, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, where there have been incidents of violence in the recent past, he said be it any corner of the country – “wherever there is injustice, the Congress party will establish justice.”
For the rights of the youth, for the welfare of the farmers, for the respect of women, for the justice of the underprivileged, for the earnings of small traders, he said, “The Congress is standing. INDIA will rise.”
In a post in Hindi on ‘X’, he said, “Happy Independence Day to all of you and congratulations. Democracy and Constitution are the soul of our country. We take this pledge that we will uphold the freedom of democracy and constitution for the unity and integrity of the country, for love and brotherhood, for harmony and harmony. Jai Hind.”
