Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's critique of the Congress party over a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) by a group of lawyers, the grand old party fired back on Thursday, accusing him of "coercing institutions into submission", manipulating democracy, and hurting the Constitution.


Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, in a statement posted on X, directly addressed PM Modi, asserting, "We will take these institutions from you and return them to the people of India". 






Kharge's response came after PM Modi's criticism of the Congress party over a letter submitted by nearly 600 lawyers to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud regarding the alleged actions of a "vested interest group" attempting to influence the judiciary.


In a post on the same platform, Kharge posed four questions to PM Modi, questioning his stance on the judiciary and highlighting past events. "PM Narendra Modi ji, You are talking about the Judiciary. You conveniently forget that 4 senior-most Supreme Court judges were forced to hold an unprecedented press conference and warn against 'destruction of Democracy'. That happened under your regime. One of the judges was nominated by your Government to the Rajya Sabha. So who wants a 'committed judiciary'? You forget that your party has fielded a former HC Judge in West Bengal for the current Lok Sabha elections. Why was this candidature bestowed on him?" Kharge queried.






He also raised concerns about the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) and questioned why it was struck down by the Supreme Court.


"Modi ji, Institution after Institution is being 'bullied' by you into submission, so stop pinning the blame on the Congress party, for your own sins! 'You have mastered the art of manipulating Democracy and hurting the Constitution'," Kharge alleged.


Earlier in the day, PM Modi had rebuked the Congress for allegedly seeking commitments "from others for their selfish interests." In another post on the platform, he stated, "To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture. 5 decades ago they had called for a 'committed judiciary' – they shamelessly want commitment from others for their selfish interests but desist from any commitment towards the nation. No wonder 140 crore Indians are rejecting them."


READ FULL REPORT: PM Modi Calls Congress A 'Bully' After Lawyers Write To CJI. Here's What He Said