Union Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress of targeting constitutional institutions.
Kerala Congress chief Sunny Joseph said the post was published without the state leadership’s knowledge or approval.
BJP leaders Tejasvi Surya and Sudhanshu Trivedi also criticised the post.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday accused the Congress of targeting constitutional institutions after the Kerala Congress unit posted a message on X criticising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant over his remarks on the law-and-order situation in Delhi. The post was subsequently deleted, and the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) said the person responsible had been removed from their position.
“Congress wants to destroy all the constitutional and democratic institutions of India. All Anti-India gangs are joining hands. All patriotic Indians will also come together,” Rijiju wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of the deleted post.
The Kerala Congress post had addressed the CJI directly, saying, “Dear Surya Kant, if law and order is not your domain, resign now. We will find your replacement who can handle it.”
The remark referred to the CJI’s response earlier on Monday when he was asked about the protests in Delhi and the restrictions imposed ahead of a demonstration by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
Kerala Congress Deletes Post, Removes Person Responsible
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event, CJI Surya Kant had said, “Yeh law and order ka mudda hai. Ye mera vishay nahin hai” (This is a law-and-order issue. It is not my domain).
The comments came amid heightened security in Delhi ahead of the CJP’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Thousands of security personnel were deployed across the capital, with restrictions and detentions reported during the demonstration.
Kerala Congress deleted the post shortly after it was published. State Congress chief Sunny Joseph said the message had been posted without the knowledge or approval of the KPCC leadership.
“The person responsible for an objectionable post against Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant on the party's official X account has been removed from the position,” Joseph said.
He added that the KPCC would examine the circumstances under which the post was published and maintained that the Congress had no disagreement with the impartiality of the judiciary.
“Social media posts expressing views contrary to this position do not reflect the stand of the KPCC leadership,” he said.
BJP Leaders Accuse Congress Of Targeting Institutions
The deleted post continued to draw criticism from BJP leaders after screenshots circulated on social media.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya accused the Congress of targeting institutions when faced with unfavourable outcomes. “These anarchists are coming for the judiciary next. If you lose elections, attack the Election Commission. If a judgement goes against you, gun for the Court. These people are preaching constitutionalism to us?” he wrote on X.
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi also condemned the post, criticising the Kerala Congress unit for addressing the CJI in what he described as an objectionable manner.
Trivedi further attacked Rahul Gandhi, saying, “Either he (Rahul Gandhi) has lost his mental balance, or he is being manipulated by dubious forces to such an extent that he is willing to stoop to any level just to create chaos on the streets of India.”
The row comes amid an escalating political confrontation over the Election Commission’s electoral-roll revision exercise and the handling of protests in Delhi. While BJP leaders have accused the Congress of undermining constitutional institutions, the KPCC has distanced its leadership from the deleted post.
