New Delhi:
Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge has tonight strongly rebutted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comment that “bullying others and bullying is a vintage Congress culture”. In a statement that began with a mild “it is not proper form for the Prime Minister to comment on our judiciary,” the Congress president then asked four pointed questions and accused the Prime Minister of being “personally responsible” to be in favor of “usurping” the judiciary. powers of institutions and “weakening our country”.
What prompted the Congress president’s rejoinder was a blistering post by Prime Minister Modi earlier today, after 600 lawyers wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, alleging attempts had been made by “an established interest group” to undermine the integrity of the judiciary and discredit the courts.
“Beating and bullying others is the vintage culture of Congress. Five decades ago, they had themselves called for a ‘committed judiciary’ – they shamelessly want the commitment of others for their selfish interests, but renounce any commitment towards the nation,” PM Modi said. in a message on X, formerly Twitter.
Later in the evening, the Congress President posted in his statement on
P.M @narendramodi ji,
You’re talking about the judiciary.
1. You conveniently forget that the four most senior judges of the Supreme Court were forced to hold an unprecedented press conference and warn against “destruction of democracy.” That happened under your regime.
One of the jury members was…
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) March 28, 2024
The first question related to an unprecedented press conference in January 2018 by four Supreme Court judges, who made public their complaints against the then Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra. An independent judiciary is essential for a functioning democracy, the judges said.
“Why was one of the judges nominated to the Rajya Sabha by your government?” he then asked, referring to the unprecedented appointment to the House of Lords of former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi in 2020. The recommendation from the then President of India Ram Nath Kovind is unprecedented – until then there had been no government single chief justice nominated for the House of Lords. head of state.
“Why has your party fielded a former Supreme Court judge from West Bengal for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections?” Mr Kharge has also asked this, referring to former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijeet Gangopadhyay, whose move into electoral politics is raising eyebrows.
Mr Kharge also wondered why the government had engaged the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), which was dismissed by the Supreme Court. However, Congress had supported the constitutional amendment bill in Parliament.
The letter from over 600 lawyers, including veteran lawyer Harish Salve and Bar Association chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, alleged that the vested interest group is putting pressure on the judiciary, especially in cases of corruption involving political leaders.
The letter was also addressed to some of the lawyers, without naming them, claiming that they defend politicians during the day and then try to influence judges through the media at night.
Referring to the letter, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju posted on X that “sane voices” are now coming out. “These Congress people have created the concept of a dedicated judiciary and suspended the Constitution of India. Congress and leftists want courts and constitutional authorities to serve them, otherwise they will immediately start attacking the institutions themselves,” his message said.
