‘RSS have taken over every institution...’ Rahul Gandhi attacks Center, says will change the law

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led government during a debate on Electoral Reforms in the Lok Sabha, alleging that it has “captured institutions including the Election Commission” and warning that a future Congress government would retrospectively amend the law that grants immunity to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners for decisions taken while in office.

Why is Rahul Gandhi targeting the Election Commission?

Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, claimed that the Election Commission has “no answer” to the questions he raised about bogus voters in electoral rolls across several states.

He argued that Clause 16 of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 effectively shields the CEC and ECs from accountability.

“Change the law that allows the Election Commissioner to get away with whatever they want to do. I want to assure the Election Commissioner, they might be under an impression that the law lets them get away with it. Let me remind them, we are going to change the law retrospectively and we will come and find you,” Gandhi said.

He also criticised the Commission for revising guidelines on preserving election-related video footage, which now allows deletion after 45 days if no petition is filed. Gandhi said the EC has not explained why the voter lists contain “bogus” or duplicate names.

What electoral reforms did Rahul Gandhi propose?

Gandhi suggested a series of reforms, including:

• Giving political parties a machine-readable voter list one month before elections
• Withdrawing the 45-day destruction guideline for video footage
• Providing access to the architecture of Electronic Voting Machines
• Revising the selection process of the Election Commissioners

He said these measures are essential to restore confidence in India’s democratic institutions.

Accusations of institutional capture

Gandhi expanded his criticism to other agencies and institutions, alleging they have been systematically controlled by the government.

“I am saying that institutions of India are captured, and I will come to the point that the Election Commission is captured. The project of the RSS was to capture the institutional framework of the country,” he said.

He accused the government of placing Vice Chancellors “not on merit, not on capability, not on scientific temper, but on the fact that he belongs to a particular organisation.”

He further alleged the “capture of the intelligence agencies… the capture of the CBI, of the ED, of the Income Tax Department, and the systematic placement of bureaucrats who favour their ideology and attack the opposition.”

BJP pushes back during speech

Gandhi’s speech saw interruptions from BJP MPs, who claimed he was straying from the topic. He countered by accusing the RSS of believing in hierarchy rather than equality.

“It is the idea that every thread, every person in the Union of India is equal that disturbs my friends in the RSS… They fundamentally do not believe in equality. They believe in a hierarchy, and they believe that they should be on top of that hierarchy,” he said.

Gandhi also referenced Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, arguing that the RSS’s “project” continued through what he described as the “capture of India’s institutional framework.”

Why did Gandhi begin his speech with ‘Khadi’?

Opening with a reflection on Khadi, Gandhi said Mahatma Gandhi used it to symbolise the unity and strength of India’s people.

“Khadi is not just a cloth. Khadi is the expression of the people of India; it is the imagination, it is the sentiment, it is the productive force of the people of India,” he said.

He likened India to a fabric woven together by the vote, saying democratic institutions would not exist without it.

“No one thread is superior to another thread… In the same way, our nation is also a fabric made up of 1.4 billion people, and the fabric is woven together by the vote,” he added.

Lok Sabha takes up electoral reform debate

The Lok Sabha’s discussion on Electoral Reforms came a day after it debated the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, as members argued over the future of India’s democratic processes and electoral machinery.

Agency inputs