Kharge Alleges BJP's Electoral Manipulation Threatens Democracy

New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) — Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president, has raised serious concerns against the BJP by alleging that it has systematically undermined the integrity of elections in India.

He warned that the "real endgame" might be rooted in a legislative "Trojan Horse" — a bill proposing the removal of the prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers who are detained for 30 continuous days on serious charges.

On International Day of Democracy, Kharge claimed that over the past 11 years, the RSS and BJP have made a concerted effort to erode India's well-established democracy.

Through a post on the social platform X, Kharge stated, "The BJP is undermining the voter’s rights directly. Electoral manipulation is being cleverly presented as 'reform', used as a means to snatch away the Right to Vote protected by our Constitution."

He cited examples such as disenfranchising large numbers of people, particularly those from vulnerable demographics, through Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar. He further referenced the "vote theft" exposed by Rahul Gandhi as part of the BJP's tactical erosion of election integrity.

Kharge elaborated that the crux might lie within the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill, which he characterized as a legislative "Trojan Horse." This proposal, according to him, empowers the Centre to topple state governments by labeling them as corrupt, with such decisions being made by agencies reportedly influenced by the BJP.

"The message seems clear: why conduct elections when elected Chief Ministers can be legally removed within 30 days?" he remarked.

He urged, "On this International Day of Democracy, it's vital to reaffirm our duty to protect our Constitutional institutions from the RSS-BJP's grasp."

Last month, Home Minister Amit Shah introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha for the removal of the prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers if detained for 30 straight days on serious charges. The move faced intense opposition protests, marked by MPs tearing up copies of the draft law.

These bills were subsequently referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament. They include the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill 2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2025.

Under these proposed laws, if the prime minister, Union ministers, or chief ministers are arrested and detained continuously for 30 days for offenses carrying a minimum five-year sentence, they would lose their positions on the 31st day. —

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