New DelhiThe Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is not letting the Opposition speak when women and Dalits are assaulted, farmers are killed or Constitution is violated, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said on Friday as the Opposition hit the streets and held protests across the country against a record number of members being suspended from Parliament in the recently concluded winter session.

At an event held in Delhi by the 28-party Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), Kharge also criticised the passage of key bills in Houses, hailed Opposition unity, and said everyone had the right to speak in a democracy and no one could snatch away that freedom.

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Events were held across state capitals on Friday, led by different parties. In Lucknow, the Samajwadi Party (SP) led the protests while in Patna, the Grand Alliance took out a march. Protests were held in Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar as well. In Bengaluru, Ranchi and Jaipur, the Congress led the agitation.

“When women or Dalits are assaulted, farmers are killed, and the Constitution is violated, we give notices in Parliament but are not even permitted to read them. What should I say? Should I say the BJP and its government would not allow a Dalit to speak?” the Congress chief said at Jantar Mantar.

“In a democracy, everyone has a right to speak. You cannot snatch away that freedom. We got that freedom thanks to Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, and BR Ambedkar… These people gave us freedom. Even a mouse from your [BJP] house did not join the freedom struggle,” he said.

“You threw away all Opposition MPs [Members of Parliament] and passed all bills unopposed,” he added.

Kharge’s comments came a day after the most acrimonious session in recent memory – marked by the expulsion of a member in the Lok Sabha, the shocking breach of security in the Lower House that saw two men vaulting onto the floor and spray coloured smoke, and the suspension of 146 Opposition members amid uproar over the incursion – closed. The strong remarks underlined deepening fault lines between the government and the Opposition and a renewed effort by the INDIA bloc to galvanise support after the Congress’s recent losses in heartland assembly polls.

At the event in Delhi, members of the INDIA bloc hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi at what turned out to be a joint public event of the grouping. “When everyone comes together, Narendra Modi won’t be able to do anything,” Kharge said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said opposition members were suspended for demanding answers from home minister Amit Shah over the Parliament breach. “By shunting out 150 MPs from the Parliament, the government has shut out the voice of 60% Indians,” he said.

The event was attended by leaders from all INDIA bloc constituents.

The chair of both Houses have argued that the members were suspended for violating rules of parliamentary conduct such as rushing to the Well to protest and carrying placards, and they were unnecessarily disrupting proceedings. The government, led by Modi, has also criticised the Opposition for protests over the security breach.

Kharge said he was shocked to see a person occupying a Constitutional office say that he belonged to a certain community, and that is why he was insulted. “You have taken an oath to protect the country and act according to the Constitution but you talk about castes inside the House? If you are in such a situation, imagine what will be the situation of a Dalit such as me. When I try to speak in the House, attract your attention [to raise an issue], I never get a chance.” The comments appeared to be a veiled reference to Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar who was peeved over an Opposition MP mimicking him during recent protests. Dhankhar said in the House that he was insulted as a farmer, Jat, and as Chairman. This is the first indirect public attack by Kharge on Dhankhar.

The suspensions continued amid important legislative business, including the passage of proposed laws set to replace British-era criminal codes, regulate the telecom industry, and shape the selection of India’s top election officials, as the Opposition refused to budge on its demand for a statement from Shah on the Parliament security breach last week.

AAP national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak attacked the BJP. “India is known globally for its strong and fair democracy. Asking a question is the basic premise of democracy. If elected MPs cannot ask question in Parliament, what will they do?” said Pathak, who is a Rajya Sabha MP.

Rahul Gandhi referred to the Parliament security breach last week involving two intruders who used a visitors slip from BJP lawmaker Pratap Simha to walk through three layers of security. “Why did they stage such a protest? There is a reason… major unemployment in India. Young people are not getting jobs. I did a small survey and found out that an average youth spends 7.5 hours on a cell phone because Narendra Modi has not given him employment.” He also alleged that several BJP members present in the House during the attack had fled.

Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s Sitaram Yechury, D Raja of the Communist Party of India, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Tiruchi Siva were among the leaders present at the protest.

Pawar said the leaders of the bloc were ready to pay whatever price required to save democracy. “Today, farmers are going on the path of suicide, the youngsters working in factories are not even getting proper wages. Therefore, we will have to take responsibility and work hard to remove the forces attacking democracy,” he said.

DMK’s Tiruchi Siva accused the BJP of attempting to destabilise the country’s federal and secular structures. “The INDIA bloc will oust the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” he said.

ST Hasan of the Samajwadi Party (SP) said the government was trying to not just suspend MPs, but also the country’s democracy. Hasnain Masoodi of the National Conference demanded a statement in the House over the security breach. Mausam Noor of the Trinamool Congress said that MPs who raised questions on the security lapse were suspended. D Raja of the Communist Party of India said BR Ambedkar had made it clear that Parliament was supreme as it represented the sovereign will of the people.

In Jaipur, Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara said that opposition MPs were suspended so that controversial bills could be passed in their absence. In Ranchi, Congress leaders participated in a protest march to the Raj Bhavan. In Bengaluru, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar participated in a march to Raj Bhavan. “The Modi government had promised to provide two crore employment but instead of addressing those issues in the parliament, 146 opposition MPs were suspended, which is first of its kind in the history of Indian democracy,” Shivakumar said.

Read here: Kharge’s letter to Jagdeep Dhankhar: ‘Govt will have its way but Opposition must…’

In Patna, the Congress, Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) participated in the protest. In Uttar Pradesh, workers of SP, the Congress, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and CPI(M) took part in the protest in Lucknow.

In Telangana, deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and several ministers participated in a dharna in Hyderabad.