Lucknow/New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday attacked the Opposition Congress over protests against chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing it of trying to seize power by spreading anarchy, even as the party hit back, saying it wanted to defeat the BJP through democratic means and not extra-constitutional methods.
“This fight is not for electoral reforms, not for SIR, not against Gyanesh Kumar, not for bright future of youth. It is a conspiracy to grab power. In democracy there is no licence to spread anarchy and attack constitutional institutions,” Singh said while addressing a press conference in Lucknow.
Congress MP Pawan Khera rejected the allegations, accusing the BJP of treating protests as anti-national when it faced public criticism. “The BJP is not used to democracy when it is on the receiving end of it. When it has to face the heat of democracy, answer questions and confront protests, democracy suddenly begins to look like treason and anti-national activity to them,” he said.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets seeking Kumar’s removal and the scrapping of SIR, even as authorities ordered Metro closures, Internet shutdowns, imposed prohibitory orders and deployed 40,000 security personnel to turn Delhi into a virtual fortress. Many protesters were dragged, manhandled and detained as the ruling BJP accused the Opposition of trying to deflect attention from its electoral failures.
Singh accused the Congress and its allies of seeking a change of government along the lines of Bangladesh, saying they were using the energy of young people to spread anarchy and undermine democratic 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.
“They 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, referring to the uprising in Bangladesh in 2024 that toppled the Sheikh Hasina government.
Khera said the Opposition wanted to change the government through elections, citing the change of government in 1977 after the Emergency. “How does regime change happen in a democracy like India? Through elections. Changing the regime through elections is precisely the Opposition’s objective,” he said.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh invoked former president Pranab Mukherjee’s words on the Opposition’s role. “The Defence Minister needs to be reminded of what the former President Pranab Mukherjee, who was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2019, would often say: the job of the Opposition in a democracy is to oppose, expose and depose,” he said.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Aradhana Misra Mona said, “I fail to understand why the BJP is defending an individual who has undermined this country’s democracy and constitutional order — someone who has shaken the very foundation of our democracy — the right to vote. Why is the BJP standing behind him and shielding Kumar?”
Echoing similar sentiments, Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan said, “Look, it is the BJP that is plundering the nation and setting the country ablaze. If they have such a major problem, why are they causing distress to the youth of the entire nation to protect one individual? They should ensure the resignation of that person — Kumar.”
Singh, meanwhile, said the Congress was hurting the Constitution, constitutional values and institutions. Referring to the Emergency in 1975, he said, “In 1975 [Prime Minister] Indira Gandhi put democracy behind bars [during the state of Emergency]. Today Rahul Gandhi keeps the Constitution in his pocket and tries to spread anarchy.”
He also accused the Congress of making the Election Commission of India (ECI) its puppet. “There was a recommendation to remove Naveen Chawla as an election commissioner [in 2009] over the allegation that he shared information with Congress. Congress elevated him to the post of the chief election commissioner.” Singh also pointed out that former CEC MS Gill had become a Union minister twice.
“Until 1993, elections were held without voter IDs. Before 1993, there was no voter ID. There was no solid proof to establish voter identity. Since voter IDs were introduced, a majority has become a distant dream for Congress. Since the voter ID system was implemented, Congress has never formed a government,” he said.
Singh cited Congress’s vote theft allegation and said it won in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election last in 1985. “Congress has not got a majority since 1984, when BJP was a two-seat party. Was this vote theft or failure to work? Rahul Gandhi should answer.”
BJP president Nitin Nabin echoed Singh’s charge, saying the Opposition’s use of “regime change” exposed its agenda. “The use of terms like ‘regime change’ has clearly exposed the true agenda of the opposition before the nation. This nefarious attempt to destabilise India in collusion with foreign powers is part of the agenda of ‘urban Naxals’. The opposition’s fight is not for electoral reforms, the SIR, or the future of the country’s youth, but rather to spread anarchy in the country and seize power at any cost..,” he said.
Singh urged Gandhi to introspect and respect constitutional institutions. “We have chosen a path of dialogue, not confrontation, for nation building,” he said, adding that democracy did not give anyone a licence to unleash violence.
(With inputs from PTI)