Union defence minister Rajnath Singh accused the Congress and its allies of seeking a regime change along the lines of Bangladesh and using the energy of youth to spread "anarchy", his charge coming on Friday when the Cockroach Janta Party has vowed to hold a protest holding the national flag at Connaught Place, the nerve centre of the national capital of Delhi.
Singh asserted that democracy does not give anyone the licence to create disorder or undermine the credibility of constitutional institutions.
"It appears that the Congress and its political allies, directly and through their supporting organisations, are trying to use the energy of the youth to fuel political confrontation and spread anarchy instead of channelling it towards constructive work and nation-building," he said.
"The youth of the country are being made pawns in the politics of anarchy," he added.
The Congress and its allies “openly say at press conferences that they have drawn inspiration from Bangladesh for regime change, while another speaks openly about bringing down the government. This makes it clear that their only agenda is to dismantle democratic institutions and set the country on fire," he said.
A student-led uprising in Bangladesh in 2024 toppled the Sheikh Hasina government.
The defence minister said the use of terms such as "regime change" showed that the Opposition's campaign was not about electoral reforms or issues related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
His remarks come amid massive protests in the national capital by opposition parties and civil society groups demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR process.
Opposition leaders have alleged that the exercise lacks transparency and could exclude eligible voters.
Referring to the Supreme Court's observations on Thursday, Singh said Rahul Gandhi and his allies need to understand that democracy does not permit attempts to create anarchy, undermine constitutional institutions or obstruct India's development.
"Respecting the law is also essential to maintaining law and order. India's democratic institutions cannot be sacrificed at the altar of political self-interest," he said.
Singh added that falsehoods, anger, attempts to malign institutions and political opportunism could not obstruct India's development.
He advised Rahul Gandhi to respect the people's mandate and introspect on his political role instead of pursuing what he called "politics of destruction" in the name of protecting democracy.
"India's future is everyone's responsibility. We must choose the path of dialogue and nation-building, not confrontation," Singh said.