Congress and INDIA Alliance workers will take to the streets, said Congress's Maharashtra spokesperson Gopal Tiwari. (File photo)Spokesperson of state Congress Gopal Tiwari on Thursday said the act of Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs, who were elected by the public to oppose the established Modi government and vote based on the ‘manifesto and policies’ of the Maha Vikas Aghadi and who have decided to join the BJP-Mahayuti, is a betrayal and fraud on the people of Maharashtra.“Congress and INDIA Alliance workers will take to the streets and hold intense protest agitations in front of the homes of treacherous MPs who defect against the people’s mandate,” he said.Due to the Modi government’s ‘continuous unconstitutional and anti-democratic actions’, Tiwari said the public gave a clear mandate to the Congress-led INDIA Alliance, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to save the nation’s wealth and protect the Constitution, and have also provided a strong Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. Congress has increased its MP count by 100%, rising from 52 to 102.“On the other hand, the ruling BJP at the Center, by continuously misusing autonomous institutions—ED, CBI, Income Tax, and the Election Commission—has constantly attempted to defeat and weaken the opposition. Even after flouting the Model Code of Conduct at times and spending massive amounts of public funds on campaigning, the reality that the BJP’s strength decreased by 35%, bringing them down to 240 MPs in the 2024 Lok Sabha—despite their “Ab Ki Baar 400 Paar” slogan—cannot be denied,” the Congress leader said.Must Read | From pillars to rebels: The six MPs ready to walk out on Uddhav ThackerayTiwari added that the Modi government at the Centre in 2024 has come to power only with the support of parties like those of Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu. “This is the actual mandate of the people of this country; the public has not voted for the BJP beyond 38%. Yet, by raiding the public treasury, discarding morality, and with arrogant brazenness, if elected MPs ignore the mandate against the ruling party, and use the alleged 2/3rds strength and loopholes in the law to shamelessly defect, then how can the other pillars of democracy silently watch this “spectacle of the murder of democracy” with open eyes?,” he said.