New Delhi, Feb 4 (UNI) Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the Modi government and the RSS, alleging that parliamentary democracy, social justice and the constitutional fabric of the country were being systematically weakened. Speaking during the discussion on the motion of thanks to the President’s address in the ongoing Budget Session, Kharge said the address lacked any meaningful focus on the poor, women, minorities and the downtrodden.
“Parliamentary democracy is under attack,” Kharge said, setting the tone for his speech. He said he wanted to place five points on record, beginning with the demand that the Women’s Reservation Bill be implemented immediately. “For the BJP, women are only a vote bank. You have not made a single woman the president of your party till date,” he alleged, adding that atrocities against women were rising across the country.
Kharge accused the government of weakening social justice mechanisms built over decades. “Congress governments strengthened schemes for SCs and STs. This government has diluted them. The allocation has been reduced, and even that money is not fully spent,” he said, citing data to back his claims.
Taking aim at the President’s address, Kharge said it reflected the government’s priorities rather than ground realities. “There is nothing about the poor and the downtrodden in the President’s speech. The government prepares the address and the President only reads it out,” he remarked. He also expressed anguish over the absence of any reference to atrocities against minorities. “It hurts us that there is nothing in the address about attacks on minorities,” he said.
In one of his sharpest remarks, Kharge alleged that “speaking against minorities has become the qualification for being a BJP leader.” Referring to attacks on churches, he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of remaining silent. “The Prime Minister visits churches during elections, but when they are attacked, he does not utter a word,” Kharge said.
The Congress chief also criticised what he described as the government’s “bulldozer politics”. “Selective targeting and bulldozer politics are being used as political tools in the country,” he said, warning that such practices were a “dangerous signal for democracy.” Without naming him, Kharge referred to a BJP chief minister who, he alleged, repeatedly targets the Muslim community. “This CM always talks of polarisation. It is a warning bell for democracy,” he said.
On parliamentary functioning, Kharge said debates and legislative scrutiny were being hollowed out. “Discussions in the House and private member bills no longer matter,” he alleged, citing data to claim that ministers were increasingly avoiding answering questions raised by MPs. He also accused the government of bulldozing key Bills without adequate debate because it was “high on power”.
Kharge levelled serious allegations against Governors in opposition-ruled states, accusing them of acting as “agents of the Centre.” Citing Article 154 of the Constitution, he said Governors were constitutionally bound to act on the advice of state councils of ministers, a norm he alleged was being violated. He pointed to recent instances where Governors refused to address state Assemblies.
Raising the issue of law and order and internal security, Kharge claimed that 65% of narcotics seizures had been made at ports in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. “If the Prime Minister is so powerful, why has he not been able to stop this?” Kharge asked.
The Leader of the Opposition also questioned the Prime Minister’s concern for the Northeast, referring to the delay in Modi’s visit to violence-hit Manipur. “Vasco da Gama took 11 months to go around the world and reach India. It took the Prime Minister two years to visit Manipur,” he said, drawing sharp reactions from treasury bench members.
Kharge flagged the delay in conducting a caste census, alleging that the Centre relented only after sustained opposition pressure. “Even now there is no roadmap. No political parties, states or experts have been consulted,” he said.
Warning the BJP against excessive glorification of a single leader, Kharge said, “You keep asking what we did. We ask you what you have done — you have destroyed what we built.” He accused the government of attacking the core values of the Constitution. “You have attacked justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. Your plan is to destroy the Constitution,” he told the House.
In a separate intervention, Kharge questioned the timing and content of the recently announced India-US trade deal, asking whether India had compromised under American pressure. He also sought clarity on claims by US President Donald Trump regarding zero tariffs and asked whether Indian farmers’ interests had been safeguarded.
The treasury benches strongly objected to several of Kharge’s remarks, even as the Congress leader maintained that his criticism was rooted in constitutional principles and data. UNI SKA AAB