BJP staging Emergency 'drama' to hide governance failure; EC 'puppet' in govt's hands: Kharge

New Delhi: An undeclared emergency is prevailing in the country for the last 11 years, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed on Wednesday while accusing the BJP of staging a "drama" of observing 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' to mark the Emergency proclamation to hide governance failure.

He also alleged that the Election Commission has become a "puppet" in the hands of the government and it is not the BJP which is winning elections but its machinery.

Kharge said if there is any threat to democracy and the Constitution, it is from the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Hitting back at Modi over his jibes on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, he said a government which has no tolerance and does not allow fraternity and liberty to prosper has no right to lecture others.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters Indira Bhawan here, Kharge slammed the BJP-RSS for raking up the Emergency 50 years after it was proclaimed, and said those who "played no role in the independence of the country, in framing the Constitution, and rejected Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution" are now talking of saving the Constitution.

Kharge claimed the Constitution is in danger because of Modi and his governance. He also alleged that there is no freedom of expression and movement under the Modi government and voices critical of the government are silenced and such people are put in jails.

"Those (BJP-RSS) people who are talking of Samvidhan bachao are now raking up the Emergency after 50 years. It was something people had forgotten and they are now raking it up to hide their own failures," he said.

"These people failed in governance and their failure is such that people are concerned over inflation, the government has no answer to unemployment, corruption and economic failure. To hide their lies and failure they have staged this drama," Kharge said.

He said economic inequalities have widened so much so that they cannot be bridged.

"You have brought in an undeclared emergency," the Congress president said.

"If there is any crisis today and any challenge to the Constitution, it is because of the BJP and the PM," he said, accusing the ruling party of "destroying" the country.

"A government which does not practice tolerance, fraternity, liberty, should not teach us these things," Kharge remarked.

The Congress chief said the BJP is rattled with the party's Samvidhan Bachao Yatra and are therefore raking up the Emergency of 50 years ago.

The government marks the Emergency anniversary as Samvidhan Hatyas Diwas, or Constitution Murder Day.

The Congress president said India had moved long past the time of Emergency, pointing out that Indira Gandhi herself supported Morarji Desai in overturning the constitutional amendments made during the Emergency.

Alleging irregularities in polls, Kharge trained his guns on the Election Commission.

"The EC has become a puppet in the hands of the government. Like we have puppets that are made to do things to entertain. You have a puppet and you (Modi) claim that you are winning elections. You are not winning elections your machine is winning," Kharge alleged.

"You let it go where you want to and get a hold where you want to," he said, referring to assembly elections in states.

He also slammed the government over its handling of the situation in Manipur.

Kharge said Modi travels across the country and abroad, but has not visited Manipur which continues to burn in violence.

"If Rahul Gandhi ji can go to Manipur, Jammu-Kashmir, why can't Narendra Modi? Is he afraid of meeting the people of his own country," he asked.

Taking the 'Vishwaguru' jibe at Modi, Kharge asked what type of a guru is he who can't solve the country's problems.

Pointing to US President Donald Trump claiming credit for the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, Kharge said Modi was silent and not contradicting Trump.

"How can you be the Vishwaguru, when you are scared of Trump," he asked.

Referring to the 2024 poll verdict during which the BJP could not achieve its 400+ seats target, the Congress chief said people of the country know how to protect the Constitution and democracy, and they proved it in 2024.

Taking a jibe at Modi for avoiding questions and media, he pointed out, all the prime ministers before him would speak to journalists and take questions but Modi "only talks to selected people with selected questions".

"This is their idea of transparency in a democracy," he said.

Earlier, in a scathing attack on the Modi government, the Congress alleged that over the past 11 years, Indian democracy has been under a "systematic and dangerous" five-fold assault that can be best described as "Undeclared Emergency@11".