BJP will go to any extent of immorality to remain in power: Mallikarjun Kharge

On the occasion of India's 79th Independence Day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge used his flag-hoisting address at the party’s Indira Bhawan headquarters to launch a sharp attack on the BJP, alleging that the ruling party was willing to resort to “any extent of immorality” to stay in power and that “large-scale irregularities” in elections were coming to light across the country.

Focusing on the special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls, Kharge accused the BJP of benefiting from the large-scale deletion of opposition votes — including cases where living voters were declared dead. He said the BJP’s lack of objection to the removal of 65 lakh names clearly indicated who stood to gain from the exercise.

He criticised the Election Commission for its opacity, praising the Supreme Court for directing that the voter list be made public.

Kharge also accused the government of misusing central agencies — the ED, CBI, and Income Tax Department — “so openly for political purposes” that even the Supreme Court had to intervene.

On foreign policy, he lamented that India had lost the special stature it once held under its non-alignment policy, claiming the country now lacked close allies both in its neighbourhood and beyond.

Invoking B.R. Ambedkar’s warning in the Constituent Assembly about the sanctity of the franchise, Kharge said that fair elections were the bedrock of democracy and that no eligible person should be excluded from the rolls due to prejudice.

He linked the party’s legacy to India’s freedom struggle, recalling Congress’ role in securing independence and in framing the Constitution. He emphasised that Congress governments laid the foundation for a strong, democratic India based on equality — “One Person, One Vote, One Value”.

With PTI inputs