‘Modi’s guarantee’ slogan sign of India inching towards dictatorship: Mallikarjun Kharge

Kharge said that in countries where people fight for their rights, democracy has survived. “If rights are ignored, then dictatorship will be imminent,” the Congress leader said.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and CPM General Secy Sitaram Yechury in Bengaluru on Sunday. (PTI)

Raising concerns over alleged widespread horse trading helping the BJP in polls, he said such actions were hurting the Indian Constitution and democracy. “When a party forms a majority, MLAs are bought off. Such experiments have taken place in Karnataka, Manipur, Goa and Uttarakhand,” he said, accusing the BJP of threatening people to shift camps.

Quoting Babasaheb Ambedkar, he said India had lost independence several times. “Ambedkar has warned us that we have lost independence several times in the past, and if we lose it again, we cannot win it back. We have to guard against this resolutely,” he said.

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah said that the Election Commission of India should take note of the violations in the electoral process to ensure that people get free and fair elections. “Otherwise, a time will come when there will be nothing like the Constitution or the diversity we enjoy,” he said.

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the BJP had plans to replace the “secular democracy of India” with a “fascist Hindutva” state as envisioned by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. They want a government based on Manusmriti, which will worsen caste oppression in the country, he said.