Mallikarjun Kharge slams government over detentions, calls India a ‘Muzzled Democracy’

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused the Narendra Modi government of turning the “Mother of Democracy” into a “Muzzled Democracy”, alleging that youths, students, lawyers, journalists, social activists, farm union leaders and content creators questioning the government were being detained.

In a post on X, Kharge said the BJP-RSS's “cowardice” was on full display and asserted that detentions, arrests, imprisonment and the use of force would not deter the people of India.

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“Detentions, arrests, jails, lathis and pellets cannot deter the people of India,” Kharge said, adding that the youth had been at the forefront of shaping the country's destiny since the freedom struggle.

Kharge said the Congress, along with the united Opposition, would fight what he described as a “tyrannical regime” and vowed to defend India's democracy, Constitution and the fundamental rights of every citizen.

“We shed our blood to win India’s freedom. We will continue to fight, with every ounce of our strength, to defend our Democracy, our Constitution and the fundamental rights of every Indian,” he said.

The remarks come amid a proposed Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi on October 10. The Delhi Police denied permission for the protest and imposed prohibitory orders in the New Delhi district. The proposed demonstration has also prompted legal proceedings over restrictions, including the closure of metro station entry gates.