Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday urged fellow Indians to stand up against the "onslaught on the judiciary" and unitedly strengthen the country's Constitution while ensuring the rights of the poor.
He also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for doing nothing except making speeches and electioneering even when one brother is pitted against the other and people of one community are pitted against those of the other.
In his video message to fellow citizens on the eve of Republic Day, Kharge alleged that a conspiracy is on to weaken the Constitution and other institutions by those who never believed in it.
He also noted that the government is making "deliberate attempts" to orchestrate a confrontation with the judiciary.
“A well-planned conspiracy is on to weaken the Dalit, tribal and backward communities. The poor are being deprived of their rights. Work to make one brother fight against another, people of one religion against those of the other, and people of one caste against those of the other is going on 24x7...and the prime minister and his government have nothing to do except making speeches and campaigning for elections," he said in his message.
In 2024, India will celebrate its 75th Republic Day, he said, noting, "That is why I appeal to you to let us all strengthen our Constitution and constitutional institutions together. Stand up against the onslaught on the judiciary. Ensure the rights of the poor and downtrodden and lead India towards a brighter future."
In a tweet in Hindi, he later said, "Hearty greetings to all the countrymen on the eve of 74th Republic Day. What we need most today is to protect the basic principles of the Constitution – Justice, Equality, Liberty, Mutual Fraternity, Secularism and Socialism."
The Congress president noted that India's Constitution is the soul of the country, as its framers provided equal opportunities and equal protection to the citizens on the basis of principles of justice, equality, freedom, mutual brotherhood, secularism and socialism, which is the foundation of our democracy.
"Today, what we need most is to protect these basic principles of the Constitution," he asserted.
Claiming that there are some people who never believed in the Indian Constitution and never respected it, he said, "Today the same people are busy in weakening every constitutional institution. They topple elected governments through the back door. By misusing the institutions, they intimidate and threaten the Opposition, implicate them in false cases."
He also alleged that they are selling the country's assets to their billionaire friends and with their help, they are trying to control the media so that the truth of the government is not revealed to the people.
"They deliberately carry out attacks to orchestrate a confrontation with the judiciary. They are sowing seeds of hatred among students in the universities," he said.
The Congress chief also alleged that a conspiracy is on to control every institution by installing their own people in institutions that were running independently as per the constitution.
The statistics of inflation, unemployment and economic inequality are clearly telling the story of the failures of the Modi government, he noted.
-With PTI Input
