ABVP staged protests across several states accusing Congress of weakening democratic institutions. The student group insisted that governments must change only through elections.
Stock photo used for illustration
Newdelhi,Oct 16, 2026 22:32 IST
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) held protests across several states and major cities on Friday, accusing the Congress of undermining democratic institutions, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's student wing said governments are formed and changed through elections and not through what it described as mob rule.
The ABVP organised the protests under the slogan 'Stop Anarchy, Embrace Democracy' at several places, including Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha.
It alleged that attempts by Rahul Gandhi and the Congress-Left grouping to weaken public confidence in constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission and the Supreme Court, must not be allowed to succeed.
“India is a democracy, not a mobocracy. Governments are formed and changed through the people's mandate, not through demonstrations of street power,” the ABVP said, according to PTI.
The organisation said attempts to emulate political developments in Bangladesh and Nepal to pursue what it called a politics of anarchy and regime change in India were unacceptable.
ABVP national general secretary Virendra Singh Solanki said, “India's democracy rests on the people's trust, the right to vote and the independence of constitutional institutions. The authority to change governments rests solely with the people, who elect and replace governments through their votes.”
“Political dissent is welcome in a democracy, but attempts to change governments through mob pressure, anarchy or by targeting constitutional institutions are unacceptable,” Solanki added, according to PTI.
The ABVP urged the country's youth to remain vigilant in protecting the dignity of constitutional institutions, democratic values and national interests, and to oppose what it described as the politics of anarchy and mob rule through democratic means.
Through the protests, the ABVP reiterated that political change must come through the people's vote and that disagreements should be pursued within the democratic framework.
- Ends