BJP systematically undermined credibility of constitutional institutions, alleges Sachin Pilot

After ten years of ruling at the Centre, the BJP has systematically undermined the credibility of the Constitutional institutions in the country, senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot alleged on Thursday, 29 February.

Addressing the concluding ceremony of the Samaragni march, organised by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, Pilot said the Congress party was not worried about winning or losing the elections but that the BJP was trying to reduce the credibility of the republic and its democracy.

Congress leader and Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who spoke during the occasion, attacked the ruling BJP-led alliance at the Centre and said "NDA means breaking the nation" and the people.

He said in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the BJP must be defeated.

"The INDIA alliance needs to win the polls. Otherwise, see what happened in Manipur," Reddy said referring to the alleged inaction of the BJP-led government at the Centre and the northeastern state in curbing the violence allegedly targeting minorities there.

"When they don't have tolerance for other communities, how come they can rule this country," Reddy asked.

The Telengana chief minister said PM Modi promised two crore jobs every year before coming to power in 2014.

"We should have at least 20 crore jobs by now. When I asked about that in Parliament, he answered that only 7.21 lakh jobs were created. How can he ask for a vote for the third time? He failed to keep his election promises. You should ask the BJP to debate their election manifesto of 2014 and 2019," Reddy added.

Pilot attacked the BJP and said they were not doing justice to the federal politics of the country.

"Are you (BJP) not using the agencies in India like the ED, the CBI or the Income Tax to harass the opposition leaders? 95 per cent of all cases of the ED are against the opposition leaders. This is the time (opposition parties) to stand up together. This is the time to stick together to rise above differences, religions, caste and ethnicities," the leader from Rajasthan said.

He said it was time to show unity.

Parties will come and go, the governments will come and go but this nation must stand together, he said.

Pilot said the secular values, which are the fabric of Indian society, cannot be allowed to be torn apart, but the BJP has been "poisoning young minds and dividing society on the lines of caste and communities".

"Don't forget that the NDA got only 35 per cent of the vote in the 2019 polls. The opposition parties got 65 per cent vote and that is why the BJP is worried. They know very well that people are suffering and that young people want jobs. They know that farmers want income," Pilot said.

He mentioned the farmers protesting at the national capital and said the INDIA bloc has assured that a legal framework for MSP procurement will be introduced.

Pilot said it was not an election to form a government but to safeguard the democracy of our republic.

He said when questioned over unemployment, the farmers' agitation or other matters, the BJP talks only about "Hindu- Muslims, Mandir-Masjid and India-Pakistan".

Both Pilot and Reddy also criticised the ruling Left in Kerala.

Pilot said the LDF government in Kerala has been taken to task by the Congress party over various "serious corruption allegations".

Reddy alleged that the Left government in Kerala was "just like the corrupt previous BRS government in Telangana".

The Samaragni march (Congress party's statewide electioneering march) launched on 9 February was led by KPCC president K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan.