NEW DELHI: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) spokesperson Manoj Pandey on Sunday backed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi‘s criticism of the BJP-led government, alleging that India was witnessing an undeclared Emergency, with democratic values, citizens’ rights and press freedom coming under threat.Reacting to Gandhi’s remarks at the Bharat Summit 2026 in Hyderabad, Pandey said concerns over the state of democracy in India were being raised at several national and international platforms.“This issue is being raised on several national and international platforms and is also being discussed abroad. Democracy is almost on the verge of extinction. Citizens’ rights are being violated, and press freedom is being restricted,” he told ANI.Alleging that democratic institutions and constitutional values had weakened over the past 12 years, Pandey said democracy existed in the country only for show.“Over the last 12 years, democratic values have eroded. Democracy exists in our country, but only for show. There is an undeclared state of Emergency, and people are suffering. Constitutional institutions are being manipulated to remain in power,” he said.The remarks come amid a political row over Gandhi’s comments at the summit on Saturday, where he alleged that democracy in India was “destroyed” in 2014 and questioned the credibility of the electoral process.Addressing the gathering, the Congress leader claimed that the flow of large amounts of money into the political system had fundamentally changed the electoral landscape in 2014. He said the Opposition was initially taken by surprise but later understood what he described as the destruction of democracy.
“In 2014, we witnessed a completely new election, something we’ve never seen before. Millions and millions and millions of dollars injected into the political system,” Gandhi said.He also questioned the legitimacy of elections.“If the Election Commission has declared 140 million voters illegal non-voters, then how is that election possibly legitimate?” he asked.