New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) On the occasion of India’s 79th Independence Day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge launched a scathing attack on the Modi government, alleging that the ruling party has derailed the ideals envisioned by the nation’s freedom fighters.

In a video address posted on his official X account, Kharge said the present state of affairs has taken the country far from the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, B.R. Ambedkar, Subhas Chandra Bose, and other leaders of the independence movement.

Kharge began by extending greetings to all Indians and recalling the Congress party’s role in the freedom struggle. “The story of India’s independence is the story of our party,” he said, highlighting the efforts made by Congress leaders to lay the foundation of a strong democracy after 1947.

Quoting Independent India’s first PM Nehru, he reiterated the vision of building a “strong, prosperous, and just” India.

However, Kharge said that in the last decade the country has faced “rampant unemployment” and shrinking job opportunities.

He accused the BJP-led government of politicising constitutional institutions by filling them with individuals aligned with the ideology of the RSS.

Enforcement agencies like the ED, Income Tax Department, and CBI, he alleged, are being misused to target opposition leaders, he stressed.

He also criticised the government’s foreign policy, claiming that India has lost its earlier stature as the “voice of the developing countries.”

Switching to the issue of free and fair elections, Kharge cited alleged large-scale irregularities in voter lists under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

He accused the ruling party of deliberately removing votes, shifting electors to other booths, and enrolling outsiders. Referring to the Supreme Court’s recent directive to the Election Commission to publish the voter list, Kharge said it was proof that people’s concerns were valid.

He expressed concern that in some constituencies, despite Congress leading in most assembly segments, BJP secured victory through suspicious margins in one segment.

Similar patterns, he warned, could be seen in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls.

He also announced that Rahul Gandhi will launch a “Vote Adhikar Yatra” from Sasaram, Bihar, on August 17 to mobilise public support. “This is not just about winning elections,” Kharge said. “It is about safeguarding our Constitution and preserving the dreams of our freedom fighters.”

–IANS

sas/dan