Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Modi government, accusing it of weakening the Constitution and undermining its core principle of social justice, particularly for Scheduled Castes.
Addressing the party’s inaugural Scheduled Castes Advisory Committee meeting, Kharge alleged that BJP policies have reversed the gains made under successive Congress governments in education and employment for Dalits. He said reservations were being diluted and discrimination was being justified under the present regime.
“We will not allow Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s Constitution to be weakened at any cost,” Kharge said, asserting that the Congress would continue to defend constitutional values. He recalled that the party had fought discrimination even before Independence, leading to landmark legislations such as the Protection of Civil Rights Act of 1955, which criminalised untouchability, and the SC and ST Prevention of Atrocities Act of 1989, enacted during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure. He said the Act recognised atrocities against Dalits as an attack on social justice itself.
Kharge noted that subsequent Congress governments further strengthened the law through measures such as curbs on anticipatory bail, faster investigations, enhanced compensation for victims, and the setting up of special courts.
Highlighting education as the strongest tool for Dalit empowerment, Kharge credited Congress initiatives, including pre-metric and post-metric scholarships, hostels for Scheduled Caste students, the Top Class Education Scheme, and reservations in IITs, IIMs, and medical colleges. He also referred to programmes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the Mid Day Meal scheme, and the Right to Education Act, saying these efforts led to higher school enrolment and produced lakhs of Dalit doctors, engineers, teachers, officers, and entrepreneurs.
He accused the current government of suppressing Dalit voices, citing cases such as Rohith Vemula’s death, the Bhima Koregaon events, and alleged discrimination against Dalit students in universities. Kharge said policies promoting privatisation, shrinking public sector jobs, weakening reservations, and declining recruitment of SC and ST faculty in higher education institutions amounted to an assault on social justice.
He also charged the Modi government with promoting what he described as a Manuvadi mindset that justifies inequality instead of ensuring equality. Quoting Ambedkar, Kharge said the progress of a society is measured by the security of its weakest members, and warned that this principle had been reversed under the present regime.
Later, addressing the Congress rally titled Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod at Ramlila Maidan, Kharge intensified his attack on the BJP, calling those involved in alleged vote chori gaddars and accusing them of betraying the nation. He said such forces must be removed from power to protect voting rights and save the Constitution.
Kharge alleged that the ideology of the RSS would finish the nation and urged people to unite behind the Congress, claiming it was the only party capable of safeguarding democracy and constitutional values.
