The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): Accusing the BJP government of unleashing an “undeclared Emergency” and subverting democratic institutions, the Congress party today pledged to defend the Constitution and restore the rule of law. The party’s election manifesto promises to repeal “draconian” laws like the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the sedition law, which have been used to arrest over 10,000 activists, journalists and opposition leaders in the last five years (NCRB, 2022).
Citing India’s fall to 150th rank in the World Press Freedom Index (RSF, 2022) and the spate of attacks on journalists, with 154 reporters killed since 2014 (IFJ, 2022), Congress vows to enact a law protecting media freedoms and preventing arbitrary arrests and surveillance of journalists. It also promises to decriminalize defamation and bring digital media under a self-regulatory mechanism.
To address the erosion of judicial independence, with over 40% of Supreme Court and High Court judges having close family or professional ties to the BJP (Campaign for Judicial Accountability, 2021), the manifesto pledges to establish a National Judicial Commission for transparent appointment of judges. It also promises to create regional benches of the Supreme Court and fill all vacancies in the higher judiciary within one year.
Pointing to the growing misuse of central agencies like the CBI, ED and NIA for political vendetta, with 570 opposition leaders raided in the last 8 years (Indian Express, 2022), Congress vows to bring these agencies under parliamentary oversight and end their power to arrest without a warrant. It also promises to enact a law on bail reform and release all “political prisoners” charged under anti-terror laws.
On the electoral front, the party pledges to restore the UPA-era system of matching EVM counts with physical ballot trails, amid concerns over EVM tampering raised by 21 opposition parties (PTI, 2023). It also promises a law mandating automatic disqualification of defecting legislators and limiting the use of money power in elections.
Highlighting the string of corruption scandals under the BJP government, from the Rafale jet deal to the PM CARES Fund, Congress vows to initiate high-level probes into these scams and bring the guilty to book. It also promises to investigate the Electoral Bond scheme, which has channeled over Rs. 10,000 crore of anonymous corporate funds to the BJP since 2018 (ADR, 2022).
To reverse the “systematic weakening” of constitutional bodies like the Election Commission, CBI and CAG, the manifesto pledges to grant them full autonomy and insulate them from political interference. It also vows to restore the independence and powers of the Right to Information Commission and Lokpal, and appoint an Ombudsman to probe allegations of corruption against serving ministers and officials.
As India’s democratic backsliding accelerates, with the V-Dem Institute downgrading the country’s status from “electoral democracy” to “electoral autocracy” in 2021, the Congress manifesto offers a timely roadmap for restoring constitutional values and checks and balances. However, implementing these promises will require not just legislative changes but a fundamental reset of the political culture and power dynamics that have enabled the current drift towards authoritarianism.
