Rajnath Singh accuses Congress of seeking Bangladesh-style power change through violence

Lucknow, Oct 16 (UNI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday accused the Congress of seeking to destabilise the country and bring about a change of government through violence, alleging that its protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were part of a broader attempt to weaken democratic institutions.

Addressing a press conference here, Singh alleged that the Congress's opposition to the Election Commission and the SIR exercise was not merely about electoral processes but is aimed at undermining the democratic system and removing the government from power. He accused the opposition party of seeking to adopt the "Bangladesh model" of changing governments through violence. Referring to the events of 1993, when the Congress government, led by Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao, expanded the Election Commission of India from a single-member body to a three-member body, the Defence Minister accused the Congress of attempting to influence the Election Commission during its tenure.

He alleged that the party had made overnight changes to the Commission in 1993. He said the then chief election commissioner had written to the president recommending the removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla. Chawla was subsequently elevated to the post of chief election commissioner during Congress rule, Singh said. Singh stated that before 1993, there was no system of voter ID cards for voter identification. He claimed that after the introduction of voter ID cards, the Congress was unable to form a government at the Centre on its own. Citing these examples, he accused the Congress of political interference in electoral institutions and questioned its stance on the independence of the Election Commission.

He further alleged that the Congress's current opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar goes beyond these specific issues, reflecting a broader attempt to weaken independent constitutional institutions. "In a democracy, the opposition has the right to protest against government policies, but no one has the right to resort to violence," Singh said. Singh also targeted Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, accusing him of pursuing what he called the "politics of disruption".He alleged that the Congress is turning issues involving democratic institutions into political confrontations, weakening their functioning.

However, the Congress has consistently described its opposition to the SIR and the Election Commission as an issue related to democratic rights and transparency in the electoral process.

UNI MBD AAB