Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge alleged on Sunday that the country was witnessing constant attacks on the Constitution under the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

In his message to the nation on the occasion of 76th Republic Day, Kharge said, “On behalf of Congress, I extend my warm Republic Day wishes to each one of you. This year, we complete 75 years of adopting of the conscience keeper and soul of the Indian Republic – the Constitution of India.”

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“We bow in reverence to Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Azad, Sarojini Naidu and many others who tirelessly contributed to the shaping of our great republic,” the Congress chief said.

He also paid homage to every soldier of our Armed Forces, Paramilitary Forces and the security establishment who have made exemplary sacrifices in upholding the integrity and sovereignty of this nation.

The Congress president said, “As we celebrate this momentous occasion, it is also a time to reflect upon how the country is witnessing constant attacks on our Constitution. The ruling party (the BJP) has unleashed a continuous degradation of our institutions, built carefully over decades. Political interference in autonomous institutions has become a norm.”

Claiming that federalism is being trampled upon on a daily basis and the rights of Opposition-ruled states are being curtailed, he said, “The functioning of Parliament has seen tremendous backsliding due to the tyrannical tendency of the ruling government.”

“Universities and self-governing institutions are witnessing constant intrusion. A large part of the media has been converted as a propaganda tool for the ruling party. Strangulating dissent by witch-hunting Opposition leaders has become the only policy of those in power,” he said.

In the past decade, a vicious, hateful agenda immersed in religious fundamentalism has sought to divide our society, the Congress chief alleged.

“Minorities are being targeted, and those who are secular are being tarnished by the paint of Goebbelsian propaganda. The weaker sections – SCs, STs, OBCs, the poor and minorities are being treated as second-class citizens. Atrocities and unheard-of violence against them have become a regular occurrence,” he said.

Every sacred tenet of the Constitution is being shredded into pieces by an authoritarian regime, Kharge alleged.

“Therefore, my dear fellow citizens, it is high time we preserve and protect the ideas and ideals of our Constitution. We uphold the values espoused by our founders. Be ready to make every sacrifice to protect the Constitution. This will be the true tribute to our ancestors,” he added.