“He has not granted Kiren Rijiju any real authority”: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge targets PM Modi

Kalaburagi (Karnataka) [India], October 21 (ANI): Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of insulting opposition leaders by not responding directly to their letters and alleged that the government was acting arbitrarily on issues concerning the Constitution and electoral reforms.
Speaking to ANI, Kharge alleged the Prime Minister had not given Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju real authority and was using him as an intermediary, similar to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“He has not granted Kiren Rijiju any real authority; he is merely using him, much like he uses Gyanesh Kumar. He never responds personally; when we write to him, he simply has someone else draft a reply. What does this signify? He is insulting the opposition leaders; he is insulting all the opposition parties,” Kharge said.
Questioning the government’s approach, Kharge asked whether the Prime Minister considered himself above the Constitution and warned that the public would hold the government accountable for its actions.
“Are you above the Constitution? If you have set your mind on acting in an arbitrary, high-handed manner, the people of this country will not remain silent; they will remove you from power and dismantle your very ideology,” he said.
Referring to Dussehra, Kharge warned that the public would punish the government if it continued with what he described as its tactics and failed to rectify its mistakes.
“Today is a significant day, Dussehra. Let me state this clearly: if he does not abandon these tactics and rectify the mistakes made thus far, the public will surely ensure he is punished,” he added.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday (October 19) replied to the letter of Kharge, stating that the government had made repeated efforts to consult the Opposition to discuss the proposals of the Bill.
In his letter, Rijiju said he had written to Kharge on March 16, March 26 and April 12, 2026, seeking the Congress’s support and cooperation. He also said he had personally discussed the matter with Kharge and met the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, during the Monsoon Session.
Earlier, Mallikarjun Kharge, on 16 October, wrote a fourth letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking an immediate all-party meeting to discuss proposals on delimitation before they are finalised and brought to Parliament.
Kharge sought clarity on several fronts. He has asked the government to formally clarify the status of the Monsoon Session, which remains un-prorogued, and to convene an all-party meeting before tabling any new delimitation proposals.
Kharge cautioned the government against taking a unilateral approach on major constitutional reforms such as national delimitation, which directly affects parliamentary constituency boundaries and regional representation.
He urged the government to give political parties and key stakeholders adequate time for thorough deliberation, rather than risking another legislative deadlock. (ANI)