Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks calling all elections illegal have drawn a sharp response from the BJP, which has demanded an apology.

Speaking in Gulbarga on October 3, Kharge said all elections should be considered illegal, demanded the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, and called for fresh elections using ballot papers, according to IANS reports.

Responding on October 4, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said the current government is the first non-Congress government with a clear majority, and alleged that Congress won elections only when illegal practices were rampant. He demanded that Kharge apologise, according to ANI reports.

Trivedi said Kharge’s statement goes against the democratic system and alleged a family-based mindset in Congress, according to Hi India.

Meanwhile, the Congress has announced a Save Democracy March from October 2 to 8, with opposition MPs planning to march to the Election Commission office on October 6 to demand electoral reforms.