Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday launched a broad‑ranged attack on the Indian National Congress, claiming the opposition is attempting to destabilise democratic institutions and seize power through violence. Speaking in Lucknow, Singh said the protests targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll were not about electoral reform but part of a “conspiracy to grab power”.
Protests against the chief election commissioner
Since the announcement of a review of the electoral roll, tens of thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Delhi demanding the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the SIR process. The authorities responded with a series of security measures, including the closure of parts of the Delhi Metro network, temporary internet shutdowns, the imposition of prohibitory orders and the deployment of roughly 40,000 security personnel. The government described the city as being turned into a “virtual fortress”.
Police reports indicated that many protesters were forcibly removed, manhandled and detained during the crackdown. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the opposition of using the protests to deflect attention from its recent electoral setbacks, while the Congress denied any involvement in the street actions.
Singh’s accusations against the Congress
In his Lucknow address, Singh said the Congress was committing what he termed the “fourth unpardonable crime” by “hurting the Constitution, constitutional values and institutions”. He invoked historical events that he said were also unpardonable crimes under Congress patronage, specifically the 1975 Emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the 1984 anti‑Sikh riots.
Singh further referenced the 1990 incident in Ayodhya, when volunteers converging on the Ram temple site were fired upon, alleging that the Congress helped preserve the Samajwadi Party government in the aftermath. He suggested that the current opposition leader Rahul Gandhi should engage in self‑reflection, adding that the BJP has chosen a “path of dialogue, not confrontation, for nation‑building”.
Regarding the Election Commission of India, Singh claimed the Congress had turned the institution into a “puppet”. He cited a 2009 recommendation to remove election commissioner Naveen Chawla over alleged information sharing with the Congress, and asserted that the party subsequently elevated Chawla to the post of chief election commissioner.
Singh also criticised former chief election commissioner M.S. Gill, noting that Gill had been appointed Union minister twice. He argued that before 1993 elections were conducted without voter identification cards, and that the introduction of voter IDs had coincided with the Congress’s inability to form a government at the centre. According to Singh, the party has not secured a majority in the Lok Sabha since 1984, when the BJP held only two seats.
He questioned Rahul Gandhi’s electoral prospects, asking whether the Congress leader could win the Rae Bareli seat without the support of the Samajwadi Party. Singh concluded by citing a Supreme Court observation that “democracy does not give licence to unleash violence”, framing the Congress’s alleged tactics as a breach of that principle.
Singh’s remarks came amid a broader political climate in which the BJP has been defending its governance record while the opposition seeks to capitalise on perceived administrative lapses. The protests over the chief election commissioner and the SIR process have added a new flashpoint to the ongoing contest between the two major parties, with both sides accusing the other of undermining democratic norms.
While the BJP framed the demonstrations as an attempt by the Congress to create anarchy, the opposition has maintained that the protests are a legitimate response to perceived irregularities in the electoral roll revision and concerns about the independence of the election commission. The situation remains fluid, with security forces on high alert and political leaders on both sides continuing to trade accusations.
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