Congress leader Venugopal accuses Modi, Shah, Gyanesh of undermining democracy; vows to continue protest

K.C. Venugopal | Photo Credit: ANI All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal, MP, on Sunday (October 11, 2026) accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of undermining Indian democracy, alleging that the ruling establishment was using individuals with a criminal mindset to weaken democratic institutions. He vowed that the agitation would continue until Mr. Kumar was removed from the post of CEC.Describing Mr. Kumar “as the biggest criminal India has ever seen,” Mr. Venugopal alleged that Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah had installed him in the post to subvert the country’s democratic system. He warned that the protest would not end until Mr. Kumar was removed from office.Mr. Venugopal alleged that the Modi-Shah era was proceeding with the arrogance that power could be retained even without public support, relying on electronic voting machines (EVMs), the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and a CEC whom he claimed was acting under the government’s influence.‘Second freedom struggle’The Congress MP said the ongoing agiation by Opposition parties and other organisations had emerged in this context. He termed the Opposition-led struggle to restore the country’s eroding democratic institutions and civil rights a “second freedom struggle.”Criticising the Centre’s security arrangements in New Delhi, Mr. Venugopal alleged that the government had deployed an enoromous contingent of police and paramilitary personnel agaisnt its own citizens, on a scale he claimed exceeded the security response to Chinese incursions along the country’s borders.He further alleged that battallions had been brought in from various States to control ordinary citizens, effectively declaring war on the people of the country. The deployment of the Central Reserve Police Force against leaders raising their voices through democratic means, former Chief Ministers and the leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha was a major embarassment to the nation, he said.Police deploymentMr. Venugopal argued that deploying the police to establish a security cordon even before the protest began demonstrated that the Centre’s leadership had started to feel threatened. In a sharp attack on the government’s leadership, he described those directing the crackdown as cowards who had shrunk from “56 inches to four inches.”He also accused the government of incoveniencing ordinary people by cancelling even trains relied upon by economically disadvantaged passengers. Suppressing legitimate protests and dragging away demonstrators, he said, was more dangerous than fascism.Mr. Venugopal concluded by asserting that the government would not succeed in preventing the agitation through restrictions or other obstacles. He reiterated that a massive protest would be organised in New Delhi regardless of the hurdles imposed by the authorities. Published - October 11, 2026 06:39 pm IST