Insulting people’s mandate is Congress’ old habit: BJP
Shivraj Chouhan accuses Kharge of attacking constitutional institutions; defends appointment process of Election Commissioners and reliability of EVMs
The BJP, on October 3, 2026, accused Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge of insulting constitutional institutions and the people's mandate by referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah as "illegal." Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated that Kharge's remarks, made at the direction of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, indicated the Congress' frustration and mindset following electoral losses.
Chouhan alleged that the Congress party had a longstanding habit of attacking constitutional institutions, alleging that the party questioned the legitimacy of democracy when it was not in power. He questioned whether democracy was only legitimate when the Gandhi family or Congress party held power. Chouhan pointed out that the Congress party did not question EVMs during their victories in Karnataka, Telangana, or Himachal Pradesh.
He also accused Kharge of misleading the public regarding the appointment of Election Commissioners, alleging that the 2023 Act was passed democratically and that the Leader of Opposition was included in the Selection Committee. Chouhan claimed that Congress governments had historically appointed Election Commissioners arbitrarily and rewarded them with ministerial positions.
Regarding electoral roll revision, he stated that the process is ongoing and transparent, and the Supreme Court has upheld the reliability and fairness of EVMs. Chouhan accused the Congress of wanting to return to the era of booth capturing, ballot-box looting, and violence associated with paper ballots.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
