Won't allow India to become nation of one voice, one party, one ideology: Abhishek Singhvi

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi on Saturday accused the BJP of converting democracy into dominance and its plurality into polarity, as he vowed to not allow India to become a nation of one voice, one party, and one ideology.

Addressing a day-long conference on the theme 'Constitutional Challenges - Perspectives and Pathways', Singhvi said one is living through a time when the "Constitution is not merely ignored, it is being twisted into a tool of domination and the very values that gave us democratic breath, liberty, fraternity, equality and justice, are all now gasping for air".

"A democracy dies not only when tanks roll out, it dies when institutions cave in. When constitutional functionaries become partisan puppets. When media becomes a megaphone, not a mirror. When courts begin to delay what they dare not deny. When dissent is sedition, protest is provocation and every question is branded 'anti-national' -- then you know that the Republic is on a ventilator," Singhvi said.

He also said that it was the Congress which made India a democracy, not just in form but in spirit, and it must fall to the Congress once again to protect, preserve, and if necessary, revive the soul of that Constitution.

The challenge is not simply one of bad governance or poor economics, but it is a "deeper, more insidious crisis -- the deliberate dismantling of constitutional values under the garb of electoral majority", he said.

"The Constitution has checks and balances; they are being replaced with cheques and bulldozers. The Constitution has rights and remedies; they offer raids and rhetoric. It speaks of liberty; they weaponise loyalty. This is not governance, this is is gaslighting of the Republic," he claimed.

On the path forward, he said it must begin with political courage and constitutional clarity.

"We must reclaim Parliament, not as a place for paper bills, but as a theatre of true debate. We must demand from our judiciary not just interpretation, but intervention. We must protect the media, not by controlling it, but by freeing it from fear and favour. And above all, we must reconnect the Constitution with the common man," he stressed.

Noting that it is the duty of the Congress to ensure that from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and from Kutch to Kohima, every Indian feels the pulse of the Preamble, he said the fight to save the Constitution is not a legal battle alone, it is a moral struggle.

"It is time we fought it not with caution, but with conviction. Not with whispers in drawing rooms, but with roars on the streets. Not just through statements, but through sustained Satyagraha.

"This is not a moment to lament -- ”this is a moment to lead. Let our message from this event be loud and clear -- we will not allow this constitutional coup to succeed.

"We will not allow India to become a nation of one voice, one party, one ideology. India is not a painting in monochrome; it is a mural of many millions; erase one hue and the canvas cracks," Singhvi said.

"We believe in the Constitution, we believe in its promise, and we believe in our ability to defend it with every breath of our being," he added.

Exhorting those present to address the "farce" of federalism, he claimed the Centre today treats states not as partners in progress but as colonies of compliance.

"Schemes are launched without consultation, funds are withheld with political bias and elected governments are overthrown through money, muscle, and manipulation. This is not cooperative federalism, this is coercive federalism, wrapped in propaganda," he alleged.

Urging people to rise against the present regime, not as opposition but as the original vision, Singhvi said, "Let us speak, not just to win debates, but to win back the nation. Let us act, not for political returns, but for constitutional redemption.

"Let it be said in the annals of history -- when the Constitution wept, it was the Congress that wiped its tears. When democracy bled, it was the Congress that bandaged its wounds. And when the Republic trembled, it was the Congress that stood firm like a rock."