'Jo aadmi darta hai': Kharge invokes 'Sholay' dialogue to target govt over Delhi curbs amid anti-CEC protests

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday invoked the iconic “Jo darr gaya” (one who gets scared) dialogue from the 1975 blockbuster "Sholay" to target the government, as opposition parties continued their protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.Kharge was referring to the sweeping restrictions imposed by the Delhi Police ahead of Saturday’s planned protest by youth pressure group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and other student organisations, which are demanding the removal or resignation of Kumar.Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex ahead of the opposition’s march to Rashtrapati Bhavan to meet President Droupadi Murmu over the issue, Kharge remarked, “They (the government) are scared. ‘Aur jo aadmi darta hai vo aaj nahi toh kal marta hai’ (a person who is scared will die, if not today then tomorrow).”His remark was an apparent reference to the iconic dialogue delivered by dacoit Gabbar Singh, the main antagonist played by Amjad Khan in the film.Kharge also claimed that the two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had openly stated that CEC Kumar had made a “mistake”.“Both commissioners themselves said that we raised objections several times and explained to Gyanesh Kumar, but he did not agree. Despite the objections of the two election commissioners, the Modi government is not ready to remove Gyanesh Kumar from his post,” he added, referring to a media report that triggered the ongoing controversy.Describing Kumar as a “small fish”, Kharge alleged that he had the backing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.“Gyanesh Kumar is a small fish, but behind him are (Narendra) Modi-(Amit) Shah and their government. The Modi government wants all rights to be stripped away and dictatorship to be imposed. If dictatorship comes, democracy will end, which will also wipe out the Constitution and all rights. We are fighting for the sake of democracy, the constitution, and the people's interests,” Kharge stated.(With PTI inputs)Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.