Bengaluru: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday announced that he and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will meet Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on October 12 to air grave concerns over the alleged suppression of democratic rights, police crackdowns on demonstrators, and voting process irregularities overseen by the Election Commission.

Speaking to reporters, Kharge confirmed that both he and Gandhi had formally written to the CJI, who subsequently granted them an appointment between 4 pm and 5 pm on Monday.

“We cannot demand anything before him. We will request him with folded hands to keep these issues in mind,” Kharge stated.

 

‘Undeclared Emergency’ and transit lockdown

In a sharp indictment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Kharge accused the ruling government of creating an “undeclared Emergency” in the country. He cited the security lockdown deployed across Central Delhi on Saturday to block a mass rally organised by the CJP demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

“Yesterday, nearly 32,000 police personnel and 7,500 CRPF personnel were deployed. This itself shows how much fear the government has of the youth agitation,” Kharge alleged, pointing out that transit routes, airport access, and mobile internet services were intentionally cut off to stifle peaceful assembly.


Allegations of electoral fraud and immunity laws

Turning his focus to the Election Commission, Kharge claimed the constitutional body is no longer permitted to act independently, pointing to recent public statements by EC members highlighting inner institutional friction.

He further criticised the 2023 legislation that granted statutory immunity to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners.

“Why was this special protection given to an Election Commissioner? After providing this protection, the entire process of vote theft, EVM manipulation and electoral fraud was set in motion,” Kharge charged, asserting that granting lifelong immunity shields officials from accountability and undermines free elections.

Kharge reiterated that the Congress party and the broader opposition bloc will continue their agitation on the streets and in legal forums to protect the Constitution.

 

PTI