Rajnath Singh accuses Congress of seeking Bangladesh-style regime change through Delhi protests

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has accused the Congress and its alliance partners of attempting to orchestrate a Bangladesh-style regime change in India, warning that attempts to undermine constitutional bodies and provoke street disorder will not be allowed to disrupt national development.

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow on Friday, Singh said ongoing demonstrations in the national capital over electoral procedures were not genuine efforts at reform, but rather a calculated plot to generate chaos and capture political power by undemocratic means.

"It appears that the Congress and its political allies, directly and through their supporting organisations, are trying to use the energy of the youth to fuel political confrontation and spread anarchy instead of channelling it towards constructive work and nation-building," Singh said. "The youth of the country are being made pawns in the politics of anarchy."

What Rajnath Singh said about the Bangladesh comparison

Singh pointed directly to statements from opposition figures as evidence that their political aims go beyond routine democratic protest, drawing parallels to the political upheaval in Bangladesh earlier in 2024 that ousted the Sheikh Hasina administration.

"They openly say at press conferences that they have drawn inspiration from Bangladesh for regime change, while another speaks openly about bringing down the government," Singh said. "This makes it clear that their only agenda is to dismantle democratic institutions and set the country on fire."

He stressed that public calls for "regime change" expose the real character of the unrest, making plain that the campaign has little to do with the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls or administrative disputes involving Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Backing constitutional bodies against political attacks

The Defence Minister's comments come as opposition parties and affiliated student organisations mount demonstrations across Delhi demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner over the Special Intensive Revision process, claiming the roll update lacks transparency.

Citing observations delivered by the Supreme Court on Thursday, Singh noted that democratic rights do not grant anyone licence to provoke lawlessness, weaken public faith in independent bodies, or stall the country's economic expansion.

"Respecting the law is also essential to maintaining law and order. India's democratic institutions cannot be sacrificed at the altar of political self-interest," Singh said. He added that political opportunism, groundless hostility and campaigns to tarnish institutions would fail to halt India's forward march.

Singh also scrutinised past assertions by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding electoral rolls, noting that allegations of phantom and duplicate voters had never been backed up by formal, substantiated appeals. He urged Gandhi to respect the popular mandate delivered by voters and engage in constructive dialogue rather than what he described as a politics of disruption.

"India's future is everyone's responsibility," Singh said. "We must choose the path of dialogue and nation-building, not confrontation."