BJP general secretary and former Union minister Smriti Irani on Thursday launched a pointed attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his protests against the Election Commission of India (ECI), calling him an "unelectable prince" hoping to become emperor one day. Calling Gandhi's approach a "political tantrum", she accused the Congress MP of seeking to oust the Narendra Modi government without going through elections.
In an interview with India Today TV, Irani rejected the suggestion that Gandhi's protests and his efforts to unite Opposition parties had put the government on the back foot. She accused the Congress leader of pursuing regime change rather than electoral transparency and questioned his leadership, political strategy and approach to democratic institutions.
"So their play of words may be differentiated, but their goal is very clear. Regime change in a democratic country, where, through the voting process, the people of India elect those who will represent them in Parliament and in government. So an unelectable prince who hopes to be emperor one day is now throwing a political tantrum and nothing else," Irani said.
When asked whether she was describing Gandhi's protests as a political tantrum, she clarified, "I said that a prince-in-waiting who is hoping to be declared emperor is throwing a political tantrum."
Irani claimed that some Opposition leaders had openly stated that their objective was regime change rather than transparency. She argued that a change of government in a democracy could be achieved only through elections.
"The only way you can change a government in this country is through an election. You cannot take away the rights of 90 crore Indians in this country, just because Prashant Bhushan woke up and said, 'I want a regime change'. That will not happen," she said.
Irani argued that Gandhi's campaign against the Election Commission had to be viewed in the context of his earlier remarks about fighting the Indian state. Referring to a statement she attributed to him in 2025, she said the Election Commission was an integral part of the country's democratic framework because it ensures that citizens can elect their representatives.
"Who ensures that our democracy is vibrant and we elect a government, an informed choice of the people of India? That is the Election Commission. So Rahul Gandhi has himself declared an attack on the Indian state," the BJP leader argued.
The BJP leader also questioned the conduct of some Opposition demonstrations, asking whether alleged attacks on police personnel and criticism of the Prime Minister and the Army could be justified in the name of democratic protest.
“Is abusing the Indian Army during their demonstration a democratic way? Is abusing the Prime Minister of India a democratic way? Fight an election. That is a democratic way,” she said.
IRANI QUESTIONS RAHUL'S CHARGES AGAINST EC
Smriti Irani questioned Gandhi's claims about electoral irregularities, referring to a recent press conference in which she said a journalist had asked him whether he had evidence to support his allegations against the Election Commission.
"Focus particularly on Rahul Gandhi's interaction recently with journalists, where one journalist in a live press conference asked whether the Leader of Opposition had any proof with regard to his attack on the Election Commission. In Rahul Gandhi's own words, he has said that he has absolutely no proof," she said.
Irani accused Gandhi of attempting to hold a part of the national capital "hostage" through protests despite, according to her, lacking evidence to substantiate his allegations.
Responding to the Opposition's contention that the electoral process did not provide a level playing field, Irani defended the SIR exercise, claiming that 90 per cent of the country's 90 crore voters had been verified.
"Close to 20 lakh booth-level agents have been a part of the SIR," she said, questioning whether Gandhi believed that his own party workers were misrepresenting the process.
"Is Rahul Gandhi of the position that his own workers are lying?" she asked.
She also questioned the Opposition’s objections to the exercise, arguing that electoral rolls needed to be updated to remove discrepancies.
Referring to voters who had shifted between cities, she asked whether their names should remain registered in both places. "Should they maintain in both cities? No," she said.
Irani also explained that voters whose names were missing from the rolls could approach the Election Commission, with booth-level agents helping them file the necessary forms.
'VOTE CHORI IS ABOUT HEADLINE-CHASING’
Smriti Irani dismissed the Opposition's allegations of vote theft, accusing Gandhi of using the issue to attract media attention.
"Vote chori is a phrase that is, I think, utilised by a Leader of Opposition who not only believes in political photobombing, but also headline-chasing," she said.
The former minister argued that political parties and their representatives were involved not only in voter verification but also in polling and counting and questioned how allegations of electoral manipulation could be sustained without evidence.
Irani pointed to the presence of polling agents representing different political parties at polling booths and counting agents during the counting process. She said representatives of the Congress and other INDIA bloc parties participated in these procedures.
She also referred to Kerala, claiming that a Congress leader there had acknowledged that the SIR exercise had brought transparency and helped the party win an election.
"Kerala Congress leader says that because of SIR, there was transparency and we could win an election. Is the Kerala Congress leadership lying?" she asked.
Irani also cited Telangana, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka while challenging the Opposition’s position, asking which parties were in power in these states.
She argued that the participation of Opposition parties in the electoral process undermined the claims being made by Gandhi and his allies.
"The citizens of India are watching and the media is watching. And 90 per cent of 90 crore voters have been verified," she claimed.
Asked what she believed the Opposition's agitation was ultimately about, Irani replied, "Regime change. That's what his comrades have said today".
She accused Gandhi and his allies of seeking to change the government without relying solely on electoral means, an allegation she repeated throughout.
Irani maintained that the only legitimate way to change a government was through elections and accused Gandhi and his allies of trying to create political disorder to portray themselves as victims.
"Those who cannot win a democratically held election in our country want to create deliberate chaos so that they can play political victims," she said.
Irani repeated that political workers who wanted to bring about change should campaign for their candidates and seek public support rather than question the credibility of institutions without evidence.
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