New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS): Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on International Day of Democracy said that in recent times there has been a systemic attack on democracy by stifling institutions painstakingly built by the makers of our Constitution, and urged people to pledge to protect the ethos of parliamentary democracy.

Kharge in a post on X, quoted first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's lines that "democracy means tolerance, tolerance not merely of those who agree with us, but of those who do not agree with us".

Targeting the BJP, without naming it, Kharge said, "The will of the people, and the institutions it helps create, enables democracy to flourish. In recent times, there has been a systemic attack on democracy by stifling our institutions, painstakingly built by the makers of our Constitution.

"On International Day of Democracy, let us pledge to protect and preserve the ethos of our Parliamentary Democracy, enshrined in our independent institutions," the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said.

His remarks came ahead of the five-day Parliament's Special Session from September 18 to 22. The Congress had earlier targeted the government for not allowing the opposition to speak in Parliament.