PM Modi has mastered art of manipulating democracy, hurting Constitution: Mallikarjun Kharge

Taking to his social media handle X, Kharge said, "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 are talking about Judiciary. You conveniently forget that four senior-most Supreme Court judges were forced to hold an unprecedented press conference and warn against "destruction of Democracy". That happened under your regime," he said.

In his post, Karge also mentioned the PM nominating one of the judges to the Rajya Sabha and also fielding a former HC Judge in West Bengal for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress president questioned the Prime Minister, "Who brought the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC)? Why was it stuck down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court?"

Earlier in the day, PM Modi launched a strong attack on the Congress party after 600 lawyers and some bar associations across the country wrote to the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, expressing concerns over attempts to undermine the judiciary's integrity using political and professional pressure.

"To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture. Five decades ago, they itself had called for a 'committed judiciary' - they shamelessly want commitment from others for their selfish interests, but desist from any commitment towards the nation," PM Modi said in a post on the microblogging website X.

"No wonder, 140 crore Indians are rejecting them," PM Modi said.

His post comes after over 600 lawyers in India, including senior advocates Harish Salve and Pinky Anand, have expressed concerns regarding efforts by a "special interest group" to exert influence on the judiciary, media reports said.

In a letter addressed to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, these lawyers have raised concerns about alleged pressure tactics employed by this group to influence judicial decisions, especially in matters related to political figures and accusations of corruption.

"These actions pose a significant threat to the democratic fabric and the trust placed in judicial processes," the lawyers further said in the letter under the subject head "Threat to judiciary".