Kharge accuses BJP-RSS of using force against dissent

New Delhi, Sep 28: Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday accused the BJP and RSS of increasingly using investigative agencies and physical force to respond to Opposition voices and citizens questioning authority.

In a post on social media platform X, Kharge wrote, “Opposition par ED-CBI, janta par thappad-lathi-goli!” He alleged that the BJP was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with questions from citizens and said terms such as “naraz fufa”, “dimaagi naxal” and “andolanjeevi” now appeared mild compared with what he described as the direct use of force against dissenters.

“Dictatorial BJP-RSS has directly resorted to violence,” Kharge alleged, citing several incidents that he said reflected growing intolerance towards protests and criticism.

His remarks came a day after Delhi Public Works Department Minister Parvesh Verma was seen in a video appearing to slap a man during a road inspection in west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar. The footage showed Verma pulling down the man’s mobile phone before appearing to slap him. Verma later said that people associated with the Aam Aadmi Party had abused his family, prompting his reaction. A police complaint has been filed by the man, and police said they were verifying the facts.

Kharge also referred to student protests at Jantar Mantar, alleging that protesters were subjected to a lathi-charge. The issue has been disputed, with proceedings before the Delhi High Court involving allegations of excessive use of force, including lathi-charge, pellet guns and tear gas. Police have denied some of the allegations.

The Congress president further referred to the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, in which farmers and others were killed after a vehicle allegedly linked to the son of a Union minister ran into protesters. The case remains under judicial proceedings.

Kharge also recalled the controversial “goli maaro” slogan during the 2020 Delhi Assembly election campaign involving then Union minister Anurag Thakur. The Election Commission subsequently issued Thakur a show-cause notice, stating that his remarks had the potential to disturb communal harmony and aggravate differences between communities.

He also referred to the 2020-21 farmers’ agitation and reiterated the figure of 750 farmer deaths cited by him and other Congress leaders. The figure is a political claim associated with the farmers’ movement and is not an independently established official toll.

Kharge further recalled the 2016 Una flogging incident in Gujarat, in which four Dalit men were assaulted and publicly paraded by self-styled cow vigilantes. Earlier this year, a sessions court in Veraval convicted five accused and sentenced them to five years in prison, while acquitting 35 others. The complainant has said the verdict would be challenged in higher courts.

“When the arrogance of power reaches its peak, public repression and humiliation of the people becomes a habit,” Kharge said.

He alleged that the BJP and RSS were no longer merely pursuing policies that the Congress considers detrimental to democratic institutions, but were “raising sticks and batons and directly attacking the people”.

Kharge’s remarks come amid an intensified political confrontation between the Congress and the BJP over the treatment of protesters, dissent and Opposition leaders. The Congress has repeatedly accused the government of misusing central investigative agencies against political rivals, allegations rejected by the BJP and the government, which maintain that investigative and law-enforcement agencies function in accordance with the law.