Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a scathing attack on the Congress party and the broader INDIA bloc on Friday, accusing the opposition of orchestrating youth-led protests against the Election Commission as part of a deliberate “conspiracy to seize power by inciting anarchy.”
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Lucknow, the senior cabinet minister stated that recent agitations in the national capital over electoral processes and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were nothing more than a pretext to destabilize democratically elected institutions.
’Using Youth as Pawns in a Politics of Chaos’
Rajnath Singh alleged that opposition factions were attempting to channel the energy of young people into political confrontation rather than nation-building:
”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.”
Emphasizing that the protests had little to do with genuine electoral reforms or the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, the Defence Minister asserted that the opposition’s primary agenda was to dismantle constitutional bodies for short-term political gains.
Call for Self-Introspection
Directly addressing the political leadership of the opposition, Singh urged leaders like Rahul Gandhi to respect the public mandate rather than disrupting India’s developmental momentum.
”India’s constitutional bodies cannot be made sacrificial for political interests. This needs to be understood. Through false outrage, attempts to malign institutions and political opportunism, India’s development journey cannot be affected. Instead of indulging in politics of disruption, Rahul Gandhi should respect the public mandate and do self-introspection of his political role,” he added.
The sharp remarks from the senior BJP leader mark a significant escalation in the central government’s counter-offensive against ongoing opposition and student protests centered around the Election Commission.
