‘Insult to People’s Mandate’: Shivraj Chouhan Hits Back at Kharge Over ‘Illegal’ Remark on Modi, Shah
Congress seeks fresh elections through ballot papers as BJP accuses the party of undermining democratic institutions.
New Delhi, Oct 3: Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday criticised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah as “illegal”, saying the remarks amounted to questioning constitutional institutions and the electoral mandate.
Kharge, while speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, demanded the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, alleging that the elections through which the governments were formed were illegal. He also called for fresh elections to be conducted using ballot papers.
Reacting to the remarks, Chouhan accused the Congress of attempting to undermine democratic institutions after electoral setbacks. He said Kharge’s statement, which he alleged was made at the direction of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, reflected the party’s opposition to constitutional bodies.
“Calling the prime minister and home minister ‘illegal’ is an insult to constitutional institutions and the mandate of the people,” Chouhan said in a statement.
The BJP leader further alleged that the Congress was questioning the democratic choice of citizens by repeatedly raising concerns over the Election Commission and electronic voting machines.
Chouhan said that whenever the Congress faced rejection in elections, it sought to cast doubt on the electoral process and the institutions responsible for conducting polls. He accused the party of showing disrespect towards the Constitution and the democratic system.
Kharge, meanwhile, reiterated his allegations regarding the use of electronic voting machines and claimed that concerns over their functioning were being raised even by people associated with the system.
He said the country was being governed on the basis of elections that he considered invalid and argued that the existing governments should be dissolved. Kharge demanded that fresh polls be conducted through ballot papers.
The exchange comes amid an ongoing political dispute between the Congress and the BJP over the credibility of electoral processes, EVMs and the Election Commission.
