Scathing Jibe : I don’t know when the PM will declare the last election. PM will claim that he is very popular and there is no need for democracy – Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress president

Picture : ANI / X

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in the Rajya Sabha that he may one day claim that he is “very popular” and there is no need for democracy and elections. According to PTI, Participating in a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha accused the government of bias against members of the opposition and misusing central agencies to force them to become turncoats, and said people will lose faith in democracy.

“I don’t know when the PM will declare the last election. PM will claim that he is very popular and there is no need for democracy,” Kharge said.

Kharge claimed that 411 MLAs have switched sides due to threats from agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Income Tax Department.

Referring to the resignation of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his subsequent arrest by the ED , the Congress chief alleged that his successor was not sworn in immediately despite having the support of a majority of the MLAs.

The tribal successor met the governor again and “he told them to take oath at 12.30 pm next day. For a vote of confidence, he said, ‘I am giving 8-10 days’. This is for opposition,” Kharge said.

Whereas in Bihar, Nitish Kumar’s resignation was accepted in “15 minutes”, followed by his fresh oath as chief minister with the BJP’s support and cabinet formation.

Everything was done in half an hour in Bihar, while in Jharkhand, where an opposition party is in power, it was done differently, he alleged. “Is this democracy?… If you keep treating (the opposition) like this, people will lose faith on democracy,” Kharge said.