New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing political turmoil surrounding the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju launched a scathing attack on the opposition. Rijiju accused opposition leaders and student activists of conspiring to incite violence and orchestrate a “regime change” similar to recent unrest witnessed in Bangladesh and France.
Taking to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Rijiju shared a video featuring AISA President Neha Bora and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan discussing regime change during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi.
“The violent incidents in Bangladesh and the riots, arson, and looting in France – a similar dangerous conspiracy was hatched for India as well,” the Union Minister claimed in his post. “Anti-India gangs and some politicians colluded to incite the youth and spread violence on our streets. But those who hatched this dangerous conspiracy forgot that India is neither Bangladesh nor France.”
Taking a direct swipe at billionaire financier George Soros, whom the ruling BJP often accuses of funding anti-India narratives, Rijiju asserted, “Regime change in India is absolutely possible – but only through elections, not through Soros.”
The controversy erupted following protests where demonstrators raised concerns over alleged irregularities in the electoral roll revision process. The BJP has strongly criticized the opposition for allegedly exploiting these protests to destabilize the democratically elected government.
In response to the allegations of attempting to overthrow the government, Prashant Bhushan robustly defended the protests. “This government keeps on saying this is the opposition’s operation of regime change. We are only appealing to save the electoral democracy in this country,” Bhushan stated. “If such barbarism continues, there will definitely be a regime change. We all want a regime change. Is there anything wrong with that? Regime change is a democratic right of every citizen, and creating disaffection against the government is not an offence.”
The political clash highlights the deepening divide between the ruling dispensation and the opposition over the integrity of the electoral process and the right to protest.