- Rajnath Singh accused opposition of creating instability, undermining democratic institutions.
- He stated opposition protests aim for chaos and power.
- Singh highlighted Congress’s historical
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday accused the INDIA bloc of attempting to create political instability and undermining democratic institutions using protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. He alleged the Congress was seeking a regime change in India along the lines of Bangladesh and openly discussing the possibility of toppling the government.
Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Singh alleged that opposition parties were using youth-led demonstrations to fuel disorder and destabilise the country. He claimed that young people were being turned into “pawns in the politics of disorder” instead of being encouraged to contribute to nation-building.
“Taking a cue from Bangladesh, they talk about regime change. They are saying this at press conferences. They are openly talking about bringing down the government. Their only agenda is to destroy democratic institutions and set the country on fire,” Singh said.
His remarks appeared to refer to statements by advocate Prashant Bhushan and All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora. Both have recently met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Rajnath Singh Says Protests Not About SIR Or Election Reforms
The Defence Minister said the use of terms such as “regime change” showed that the opposition’s campaign was not genuinely about electoral reforms, SIR, the CEC or the future of young people.
“Attempts are being made to use the nation’s youth as pawns in a politics of chaos. Some seek a regime change—modelled after the events in Bangladesh—openly admitting that they drew inspiration from the situation in Bangladesh; others, meanwhile, brazenly call for the toppling of the government,” he said.
He further alleged that the opposition’s objective was to undermine democratic institutions and incite unrest, rather than pursue electoral reforms or address issues concerning young people.
“This makes it clear that their sole agenda is to dismantle democratic institutions and set the country ablaze…their struggle is not for electoral reform, nor is it about SIR or Gyanesh Kumar; it is not for the sake of a bright future for the nation’s youth—rather, it is a conspiracy to seize power by inciting anarchy in the country,” Singh added.
Singh also urged Rahul Gandhi and his allies to understand that democracy did not give political parties the licence to create disorder, undermine the credibility of constitutional institutions or obstruct India’s development.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s remarks a day earlier, he said the observations pointed in the same direction and stressed that respecting the law was essential to maintaining law and order.
‘Rahul Gandhi Should Respect Public Mandate’: Rajnath Singh
Singh advised Rahul Gandhi to reconsider his political approach rather than pursue what he described as the “politics of disruption” in the name of protecting democracy.
“My advice to Rahul Gandhi is that, instead of pursuing the politics of disruption in the name of protecting democracy, he should respect the public mandate and introspect on his political role,” Singh said.
He added that responsibility for India’s future rested with everyone and called for dialogue and nation-building instead of confrontation.
Rajnath Singh Revisits Congress’ Record On Election Commission
Singh accused the Congress of three major “unforgivable sins” during its political history.
He cited the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975, the 1984 massacre of Sikhs, which he alleged took place under Congress’s protection, and the party’s support in 1990 for those responsible for the killing of Ram devotees, which he said helped save the government of the time.
The Defence Minister also invoked the Congress’s past decisions concerning the Election Commission to counter the opposition’s criticism of the current electoral system.
He claimed that the Congress government made an abrupt change to the Election Commission in 1993 by appointing two new election commissioners overnight.
Singh referred to a letter sent by then Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami to the President recommending the removal of election commissioner Navin Chawla. According to Singh, Gopalaswami had accused Chawla of sharing sensitive information from the Election Commission with Congress leaders.
“These were very serious allegations. But the Congress not only worked to protect Navin Chawla, it also made him the Chief Election Commissioner,” Singh said.
He further claimed that a former election commissioner appointed by the Congress later became a Union minister twice. He identified the former official as M S Gill.
Singh also said elections had been held in India for five decades without voter identity cards, claiming that there had been no firm proof of a voter’s identity before 1993.
He argued that since voter ID cards were introduced, securing a majority had become much more difficult for the Congress.
The remarks came amid heightened political tensions over SIR and opposition protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Singh accused the opposition of using the dispute to pursue a broader political confrontation rather than focusing on electoral reforms.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
