Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday accused the Congress and its allies of using protests over electoral rolls to pursue a change of government in India along the lines of Bangladesh’s 2024 uprising.
Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Singh said the Opposition’s campaign was not genuinely about electoral reforms or the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He alleged that Congress and groups supporting it were using young people to fuel political confrontation and create unrest.
“The youth of the country are being made pawns in the politics of anarchy,” Singh said, alleging that remarks made at press conferences about regime change showed the Opposition’s intention was to undermine democratic institutions.
Singh’s comments came amid protests in Delhi by Opposition parties, student groups and civil society organisations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise. Opposition leaders have raised concerns about the transparency of the process and the risk of eligible voters being excluded from electoral rolls.
The minister said democracy did not give anyone the right to create disorder or undermine constitutional institutions. He urged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to respect the people’s mandate and choose dialogue over confrontation.
Singh also referred to the Supreme Court’s recent observations, saying constitutional institutions should not be undermined for political interests. He maintained that the protests were aimed at destabilising the government rather than addressing electoral concerns.
The Congress and other Opposition parties have criticised the SIR process and questioned the Election Commission’s handling of electoral rolls. Singh’s claims about a Bangladesh-style regime-change agenda were allegations made by the minister and were not established facts.