Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday alleged that Congress and other opposition parties were attempting to create instability in the country by organising protests and “manufacturing unrest” to capture power.
Speaking in Lucknow, Singh referred to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being carried out across India. He said Congress and parties in the Congress-led INDIA alliance have been staging protests against the exercise, including sustained demonstrations in Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Singh claimed the opposition was placing youth at the forefront of these agitations to fuel anger and weaken stability. He alleged that instead of channeling young people’s energy towards nation-building, Congress and its affiliated organisations were diverting it towards political confrontation and confusion.
He further alleged that some were citing developments in Bangladesh as a model for regime change, and that a few had openly called for the central government to be brought down. Singh said the protests were not genuinely about electoral reforms, the SIR process, or the demand for the CEC’s removal, but were aimed at creating disorder for political gain.
Singh said attempts to undermine democratic institutions for political advantage were unacceptable, and urged opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, to accept the people’s mandate rather than engage in what he described as opportunistic politics.
