Modi, Shah want to destroy Democracy, alleges Mallikarjun Kharge

CH NEWS KALABURAGI All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of attempting to undermine democracy and demanded the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Speaking to the media at Kalaburagi Airport, Kharge alleged that Rahul Gandhi had consistently raised concerns over alleged vote chori and the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), but his allegations had initially been dismissed as a joke.Rahul Gandhi had raised these concerns from the beginning and explained the alleged irregularities in detail. However, the government did not take them seriously, Kharge said, adding that the Congress and its allies had launched protests over the issue, with young people also joining the agitation.Kharge alleged that Gyanesh Kumar had acted at the direction of certain people and held him responsible for what he described as restrictions imposed on protests and transport services in connection with the agitation. Comparing the present situation with the Emergency imposed in the country in 1975, Kharge alleged that an undeclared Emergency was prevailing in India. Even during the Emergency, the situation was not like this. I was a minister at that time, and trains and flights were operating. But on Saturday, everything was shut down, he claimed. Kharge said, leaders of the INDIA bloc had sought an appointment with the Chief Justice of India and intended to meet him between 5 pm and 6 pm on October 12, to submit their concerns regarding the Chief Election Commissioner. The meeting was subject to confirmation. He also renewed the opposition's demand for the restoration of ballot-paper voting and the discontinuation of EVMs. Modi became Prime Minister not because of people's votes, but by using EVMs, Kharge alleged, insisting that elections should immediately be conducted using ballot papers. The allegations reflect the Congress leadership's concerns over electoral transparency and the functioning of election authorities. The claims regarding EVM manipulation and the Chief Election Commissioner's conduct were made by Kharge and were not independently established in his remarks.