Congress leader Pawan Khera hit back at Rajnath Singh over his Bangladesh-style regime change jibe, questioning whether NDA allies Chandrababu Naidu, Eknath Shinde and the JD(U) would continue backing the BJP. Claiming the ruling party was losing its grip on power, Khera accused the Election Commission of panic over electoral irregularities and declared that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar would have to go.
Pawan Khera vs Rajnath Singh over 'regime change' (Photo- ITG)
New Delhi,Oct 16, 2026 16:20 IST
Congress leader Pawan Khera on Friday claimed the BJP was losing its grip on power, questioning whether NDA allies Chandrababu Naidu, Eknath Shinde and the JD(U) would continue supporting the ruling party.
Although the BJP is the single largest party in the Lok Sabha, its 240 seats fall short of the 272 needed for a majority, leaving it dependent on allies such as the TDP, JD(U) and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction.
Responding to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's allegation that the Congress and its allies were attempting a Bangladesh-style regime change by inciting anarchy, Khera said the Opposition's objective was to defeat the government and change the regime through elections.
Khera also claimed that a Cabinet reshuffle had been stalled because several ministers had refused to resign.
Taking a swipe at the Election Commission, he said that despite the pressure on the poll body, its officials had refused to hold a joint press conference.
"They must have already said -- we are not scared of HM Shah, your time is up," Khera said.
The Congress leader was speaking at a press conference amid a political row over Singh's remarks on regime change and the Opposition's campaign against alleged electoral irregularities.
"We are running a campaign, 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhodd'. The entire country is saying this openly. We ourselves are reiterating our intent that we have to defeat this government and change this system. So, why did Rajnath Singh come forward?" Khera asked.
He argued that changing the government was the Opposition's purpose and constitutional duty, questioning why the idea of regime change was being portrayed as a threat.
"Anyone who is angry with this is true anti national. You are against the constitution," he said.
"The intent of the Opposition is always to change the regime through elections...They are not habitual of democracy anymore," he added.
KHERA TARGETS ELECTION COMMISSION OVER SSR
Khera also trained his guns on the Election Commission after the poll body announced the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in 17 states and Union Territories and agreed to provide political parties searchable soft copies of electoral rolls in a readable PDF format.
"Since ECI was put on the dock. After the revelations, the ECI is in panic mode," he said.
Alleging that lakhs of voters had been denied their voting rights during the Bihar and Bengal elections, Khera said the opportunity to address the issue had passed.
"The bus has been missed. Gyanesh Kumar will have to go. The regime change will happen," he said.
'WE DON'T BORROW ICONS LIKE RSS'
Khera also referred to Bangladesh while responding to the debate around regime change, saying India had its own icons and did not need to borrow them, taking a swipe at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
"If we have our own icons, we don’t borrow icons like RSS," he said.
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