Democracy bulldozed, federalism attacked: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday (January 25, 2026) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government of systematically undermining democratic institutions and eroding the federal structure, warning that the “very foundations of the republic” were under strain as India marked the 77th anniversary of the adoption of its Constitution.

In his Republic Day message to the nation, posted on social media platform X, Mr. Kharge said the right to vote — “a strong pillar of democracy” — was being “bulldozed”, while federalism had become a casualty of the ruling party’s “double-engine” governance model, which he alleged was being used to disadvantage Opposition-ruled States.

“The Constitutional rights of crores of MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers are under attack, livelihoods are being snatched away, and panchayats are being weakened at the grassroots,” Mr. Kharge said, alleging that the rights-based social welfare framework built over decades was being dismantled through “instant diktats”. He added that institutional degradation had reached its “zenith”.

Recalling the adoption of the Constitution in 1950, Mr. Kharge described it as the “enduring guardian of our conscience and the very soul of the Indian republic”. He paid homage to the architects of the Indian Constitution, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, B.R. Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, and members of the Constituent Assembly, for crafting a document that embodied the aspirations of a diverse nation.

The Congress president also expressed gratitude to the armed forces, paramilitary personnel, scientists, teachers, farmers, and daily wage workers, describing them as the backbone of the country’s progress. However, he said, these very sections were bearing the brunt of policy failures and corruption.

Citing reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Kharge alleged large-scale irregularities in flagship government schemes. He claimed that 41% of cards under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana were found to be fraudulent, with another 34% under investigation, while corruption levels in the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana were as high as 94%.

Public infrastructure was crumbling, with bridges collapsing and roads deteriorating across the country, and urban living conditions had worsened despite the promise of “smart cities”, he alleged. “Health infrastructure has collapsed and healthcare is no longer affordable,” the Congress leader said.

On the economy, Mr. Kharge said unemployment had reached alarming levels and economic inequality had widened to “frightening proportions”. He accused the government of favouring “crony billionaire friends” by handing over the country’s resources, while small and medium enterprises struggled to survive.

Mr. Kharge also warned that a “divisive agenda rooted in religious fundamentalism” over the past decade had fractured the social fabric. He said Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, women, minorities, and other marginalised groups were being treated as “second-class citizens”, with violence and atrocities against them being condoned. Those committed to the secular ideals of the freedom movement, he alleged, were being targeted through orchestrated propaganda.

Calling upon citizens to defend Constitutional values, Mr. Kharge said the time had come to stand firmly for “justice, liberty, equality and fraternity”. Safeguarding the Constitution, he said, would be the truest tribute to the sacrifices of India’s freedom fighters. “Let us be prepared to make every sacrifice necessary to protect the Constitution,” Mr. Kharge said.