A US news report alleging links between unrest in France and protests against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in India triggered a BJP-Congress row. The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of backing a foreign-linked plot, while the Congress hit back with allegations of electoral roll irregularities and "vote chori."
Link between French protests and SIR stir? US portal report sparks BJP-Congress clash
New Delhi,Oct 22, 2026 22:19 IST
A Fox News Digital investigation claiming links between unrest in France and protests in India demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation triggered a political row between the BJP and the Congress, with both parties trading barbs.
The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of promoting an alleged foreign-linked plot to destabilise elected governments, while the Congress dismissed the charge as an attempt to divert attention from alleged electoral roll irregularities.
The investigation identified 101 organisations across nine countries, including France, that it alleged were part of a network aimed at amplifying protests. It described a “red-green protest ecosystem”, referring to communist and Islamist groups, and drew connections between unrest in France and youth-led demonstrations in India and other countries.
Citing the report, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia called Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, a “gaddar,” or traitor, and compared him to “Mir Jafar.”
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh hit back, saying “vote chori”, or vote theft, was an established reality and accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ecosystem of spreading falsehoods out of “desperation and nervousness.”
BJP CALLS RAHUL GANDHI 'TRAITOR', ALLEGES FOREIGN LINKS
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Bhatia said it was India's misfortune that its Leader of the Opposition was “irresponsible and immature”.
“Who is the leader of these traitors?” he asked before calling Gandhi “Rahul the traitor."
Bhatia alleged that protests in India were connected to attempts to bring about regime change through anarchy and chaos in other countries.
Describing it as a “red-green ecosystem of protest”, Bhatia said “red” referred to communist groups and “green” to Islamist groups.
He also cited the report’s reference to Indian Alliance Paris, a France-based organisation, alleging that it was acting as Rahul Gandhi’s “right hand” as of October 6, 2026, and interfering in India’s internal affairs.
Bhatia further alleged that the organisation was among the first to circulate videos whenever Gandhi was detained during a protest. He described the detentions as constitutional and lawful and accused the organisation of amplifying Gandhi’s cause while making baseless allegations against Indian democracy.
CONGRESS COUNTERS WITH 'VOTE CHORI' ALLEGATIONS
Rejecting the BJP’s allegations, Ramesh said Election Commission of India data showed that more than 10 crore Indians were at risk of losing their constitutional right to vote.
In a post on X, he alleged that the Election Commission had unlawfully changed Form 6 to create hurdles for new voters and enabled the widespread misuse of Form 7 to target voters for deletion from electoral rolls.
Ramesh also accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of using ECINET to centralise control over electoral rolls while bypassing legal safeguards.
“The nation is outraged. There is widespread anger. Protests continue despite repression,” he said.
Accusing the Prime Minister’s ecosystem of trying to “divert and distract” by spreading lies, Ramesh said the effort would fail. He further claimed that the Modi-Shah combination had been “brutally exposed” and would be held accountable by the people.
- Ends