ITANAGAR, 25 Jun: The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has strongly condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ‘Black Day’ protest, calling it a theatrical display of hypocrisy and a desperate attempt to divert public attention from its own failures and anti-democratic actions.
APCC president Bosiram Siram has said that Indian democracy has been under a systematic and dangerous five-fold assault over the past 11 years and 30 days, which can be best described as ‘Undeclared Emergency@11.’
Siram said that “the real Black Day for India’s democracy is not in the past – it is happening now, every day under BJP rule.”
“While the BJP rakes up the Emergency-a historical event from five decades ago-to malign the
Indian National Congress, it conveniently ignores its own track record of undermining democratic institutions and stifling dissent,” he said.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Siram said, the Prime Minister sought a ‘Char Sau Paar’ mandate for a new Constitution and to betray Dr. Ambedkar’s legacy. “The people of India denied him that mandate. They voted for preserving, protecting, and further promoting economic, social, and political justice enshrined in the existing,” he said.
The APCC president said that the Modi government has consistently shredded parliamentary norms.
“MPs have been arbitrarily suspended merely for raising issues of public concern. The government has refused to discuss critical national issues. Key legislations are bulldozed through,” he said.
“The CAG has become irrelevant. The Election Commission’s integrity has been severely compromised. Serious questions about the integrity of the assembly elections in some states have been ignored. Poll timings and phases are tailored to benefit the ruling party. The Commission has remained silent in the face of divisive rhetoric from the Prime Minister and senior BJP leaders,” Siram said.
He also alleged that the BJP has used money power to engineer the fall of opposition-led state governments, frequently buying over legislators.
“The office of the Governor has been misused to block bills in opposition-ruled states and to interfere in university appointments. The Centre has bypassed constitutional fiscal arrangements by overusing cesses to deprive states of their rightful revenue share,” he said.
Siram also said that there has been a definite policy of quiet threats to the judiciary, primarily through delayed elevations, punitive transfers, post-retirement sinecures for pliant judges, and selective implementation of collegium recommendations.
He said that the fear of regulatory retaliation has had a chilling effect on previously outspoken business leaders.
“Investigative agencies have been weaponised to patronise a favourite business group. Major assets, including airports, ports, cement plants, and even media houses, have been handed over to this group. Prominent educational institutions have faced arbitrary tax demands. Around 20,000 independent civil society voices have been silenced,” the Congress leader said.
Siram said that the media has come under unprecedented pressure under the BJP government.
“Journalists and news outlets critical of the government have faced intimidation, arrests, and raids. Owners are pressured to hire government-friendly journalists, and government advertising and permits are used as tools to control editorial content,” he said.
Siram also alleged rampant misuse of investigative agencies during the BJP regime.
“Institutions such as the ED, CBI, and income tax department have been deployed to harass and defame leaders of various opposition parties. Investigative agencies were used to facilitate the illegal collection of Rs. 8,000 crores in Electoral Bonds for the BJP. Those who switch parties and join the BJP automatically become ED-mukt and CBI-mukt,” Siram said.
He alleged that government critics have been routinely vilified, hate and bigotry is deliberately spread by the ruling establishment.
“Protesting farmers were labelled Khalistanis, and advocates of caste census were dismissed as ‘urban Naxals.’ The killers of Mahatma Gandhi are glorified,” he said.
Siram said that Dalits and other marginalised groups have been disproportionately targeted, and ministers making hate speeches have been rewarded with promotions.
“The BJP’s ‘Black Day’ protest is particularly ironic given its own history of aligning with authoritarian tendencies,” he said.
The APCC president also said that the people of Arunachal Pradesh vividly recall the BJP’s attempts to destabilize democratically elected governments in the state, including the mass defection of Congress MLAs in 2016, orchestrated to seize power.
“Such actions reflect the BJP’s disregard for the democratic mandate of the people,” he said.
“We, at the APCC, stand firm in our commitment to uphold the values of democracy, inclusivity, and justice enshrined in the Constitution of India. We urge the people of Arunachal Pradesh to see through the BJP’s hollow propaganda and hold the ruling party accountable for its failures.”
The APCC called upon the BJP to introspect on its own actions that threaten the democratic fabric of our nation instead of indulging in selective historical outrage.
“Let us work together to build a stronger, united Arunachal Pradesh, free from divisive politics and focused on the welfare of our people,” the party said.
“Democracy is not just about remembering the past – it’s about protecting the present and securing the future. Congress in Arunachal Pradesh stands committed to the Constitution, tribal identity, development, and the voice of every citizen,” Siram added.
