Lucknow : India’s Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, has leveled serious allegations against the Congress party and MP Rahul Gandhi. He stated that they aim to orchestrate a regime change in India, modeled after the events in Bangladesh. He further alleged that their sole agenda is to dismantle democratic institutions and set the country ablaze. Notably, his statement comes at a time when the Congress party is staging persistent protests in Delhi.

On Friday, Rajnath Singh remarked, “Attempts are being made to use the nation’s youth as pawns in a politics of anarchy. They seek a regime change along the lines of what happened in Bangladesh openly admitting in press conferences that they have drawn inspiration from Bangladesh to change the government, while others brazenly declare their intent to topple the administration.”

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, the Defence Minister said, “Terms like ‘regime change’ are being used. This makes it clear that their struggle is not for electoral reform, nor is it about ‘SIR’ (Systemic/Institutional Reform), nor is it directed against Gyanesh Kumar. It is not for the sake of a bright future for the country’s youth; rather, it is a conspiracy to seize power by inciting anarchy within the nation.”

Singh added, “When political self-interest is placed above truth and the national interest, democratic discourse falls prey to prejudice and propaganda instead of being guided by facts and logic. Rahul Gandhi and his associates must understand that democracy is not a license to spread anarchy, attack constitutional institutions, or obstruct India’s developmental journey a point also underscored by the Supreme Court’s observations yesterday.”

Singh further noted, “In 1993, the Congress government abruptly altered the structure of the Election Commission.” Two new Election Commissioners were appointed to the Election Commission overnight. Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami had written to the President recommending the removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, alleging that Chawla had shared sensitive Election Commission information with Congress leaders. However, the Congress not only shielded Navin Chawla but also went on to appoint him as the Chief Election Commissioner a move attributed to his closeness to the Nehru-Gandhi family.

The Defence Minister remarked, “I would like to bring an incident to your attention. Typically, if a candidate passes away during an election, the poll for that specific seat is adjourned; there is no provision to postpone the entire election process due to the death of a candidate in a single constituency. As you know, the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi was a tragic event for the entire nation it was a moment of profound grief not just for the Congress party, but for the whole country.”

He continued, “Given that the Congress is now questioning the impartiality of the Election Commission, I must ask: if the standard procedure is to adjourn the election only for the specific seat where a candidate has died, then why was the election process for the entire country postponed following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi—especially considering that the election in Amethi had already taken place?”

Notably, the opposition alliance ‘INDIA’, led by the Congress, has been staging protests since October 6. The alliance had also sought to march to the Supreme Court by October 12 and requested a meeting with the Chief Justice of India; however, the CJI declined the request. On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued notices to several leaders, including Congress President and Rajya Sabha MP Mallikarjun Kharge, regarding this march. Furthermore, the Court has sought responses from the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar concerning petitions filed against the latter’s appointment.

Report : Abhijit Tushar Bhatt (Political Editor)