Lucknow (India): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and opposition parties of undermining India's democratic institutions through protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that their actions were aimed at bringing about regime change rather than electoral reform.

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Singh urged Gandhi to respect the people's mandate and accused the opposition of engaging in what he described as the politics of disruption.

“Democracy is not a licence to spread anarchy, undermine the credibility of constitutional institutions or obstruct India's development journey,” Singh said.

He added that “India's democratic institutions cannot be sacrificed at the altar of political self-interest” and called on Gandhi to introspect on his political role.

Rajnath Singh alleges regime-change agenda

Singh accused the Congress and its allies of using youth-led protests to fuel political confrontation and unrest. Referring to student activist Neha Bora's remarks on Bangladesh, he alleged that references to regime change by opposition leaders showed that their objective went beyond electoral reform.

He further accused the INDIA bloc and organisations supporting its protests of attempting to dismantle constitutional institutions and destabilise the country.

The Defence Minister also referred to the Supreme Court's recent observations in connection with the protests, stressing the importance of respecting the law and maintaining public order.
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Singh questions Rahul Gandhi's voter allegations

Singh also challenged Gandhi's claims concerning alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, accusing the Congress leader of making misleading statements about voters.

Referring to Gandhi's remarks about alleged duplicate and questionable voter entries, Singh said the Congress had not filed formal appeals against the electoral rolls.

He claimed the absence of such appeals was evidence that the party lacked proof to substantiate its allegations.

“We have never questioned the nation's electoral system, nor have we ever sought to mislead the public by defaming constitutional institutions,” Singh said, defending the BJP's position on electoral processes.
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Rajnath Singh invokes Emergency, 1984 anti-Sikh violence

The Defence Minister also criticised the Congress over the Emergency imposed in 1975, accusing the party of undermining democracy despite its claims of defending democratic values.

He referred to the violence against Sikhs following former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984 as part of his criticism of the party's political record.

Singh further alleged that the Congress had attempted to influence the Election Commission through changes made to the poll body in 1993. He also referred to the controversy surrounding then-Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla and a complaint by the then Chief Election Commissioner, N. Gopalaswami, to the President.

The remarks come amid escalating political tensions over protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and opposition concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission and electoral processes.