Rajnath Singh accuses Congress of seeking ‘regime change by unleashing violence’

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday accused the Congress of seeking “regime change by unleashing violence” through its protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Singh alleged that the Congress was attempting to destabilise the government rather than raise concerns about the Election Commission or the electoral roll revision exercise.

“Congress wants to follow the Bangladesh model of violence for regime change. Congress protest is not against Gyanesh Kumar and SIR but against democracy to topple government,” he was quoted as saying by The Hindustan Times.

Singh also accused the Congress of attempting to turn the Election Commission into its “puppet” when it was in power, citing the appointment of Naveen Chawla as Chief Election Commissioner.

“In 1993, Congress made overnight changes in the EC. The then Chief EC had recommended to the President of India that the then EC, Naveen Chawla, be removed. But Congress elevated him to the post of Chief Election Commissioner,” Singh said.

He also linked the introduction of voter identity cards to the Congress’s subsequent electoral fortunes, claiming that the party had been unable to form a government on its own since their rollout.

Singh alleged that the Congress’s opposition to the SIR exercise was an attempt to weaken independent institutions. He also criticised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, saying democracy did not give anyone the right to resort to violence.

“Rahul is doing the politics of disruption,” he said.

The Congress and other opposition parties have been protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR exercise, raising concerns over electoral roll revisions and the functioning of the Election Commission.