BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has alleged that anti-SIR protests bear the hallmarks of "externally sponsored influence operations" aimed at triggering a "Bangladesh-style regime change." He accused the Congress, Left parties and the CJP of seeking to topple the elected government, while protesters demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over alleged voter deletions.
Rajeev Chandrashekhar (Photo- BJP)
New Delhi,Oct 23, 2026 18:48 IST
In an apparent dig at the CJI and the Opposition, BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has reiterated his claim that protests planned on social media and then taken to the streets bear the hallmarks of “externally sponsored influence operations”, alleging they are aimed at creating anarchy and bringing about a “Bangladesh-style regime change” in India.
“I said this in June 2026, that all of these recent protests that are being planned first on social media and then physically have the hallmarks of externally sponsored influence operations. All this is being deliberately stoked. We saw this in Bangladesh and France. We saw an attempt in India,” Chandrasekhar told ANI.
He added that India had a collective resolve to prevent its democracy from being compromised by such protests.
Chandrasekhar stepped up his attack on Monday, alleging that demonstrations in Delhi by the Congress, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and Left parties were intended to bring about a “Bangladesh-style regime change”.
He claimed the protests had nothing to do with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) or the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The protesting parties are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the alleged removal of more than 13 crore voters from electoral rolls during the SIR. The Congress, the CJP and the Left parties have not responded to Chandrasekhar’s allegations.
In a series of posts on X, Chandrasekhar claimed that the Congress, the Left parties and the CJP were united by their “hatred” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and their “insecurity” about him.
“All are threatened by how India is transforming and moving ahead,” he claimed.
He further alleged that the protests were an attempt at regime change led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and involving the CPM, the AAP-backed CJP and Marxist-Leninist fringe elements.
“This has nothing to do with democracy, voter rolls, the CEC or SIR. The aim is to weaken and topple a democratically elected government,” he added.
While the protesters have linked their demand for Kumar’s resignation to the alleged deletion of more than 13 crore names during the electoral roll revision, Chandrasekhar has maintained that their objective is to weaken and remove the elected government.
- Ends