Rajnath Singh attacked the Congress over anti-CEC protests in Lucknow, calling them a conspiracy to grab power. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets, leading to heavy security deployments in Delhi. Singh said, “In democracy there is no licence to spread anarchy and attack constitutional institutions,” targeting Rahul Gandhi.
“This fight is not for electoral reforms, not for SIR, not against Gyanesh Kumar, not for bright future of youth. It is a conspiracy to grab power. In democracy there is no licence to spread anarchy and attack constitutional institutions,” Singh said in Lucknow.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets seeking Kumar’s removal and the scrapping of SIR even as authorities ordered Metro closures, Internet shutdowns, imposed prohibitory orders and deployed 40,000 security personnel to turn Delhi into a virtual fortress. Many protesters were dragged, manhandled and detained as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blamed the Opposition for trying to deflect attention from its electoral failures.
Singh said institutions are being defamed and called it political opportunism. “Rahul Gandhi should do introspection. This is my suggestion. We have chosen a path of dialogue, not confrontation, for nation building,” he said.
He referred to the state of Emergency in the 1970s and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as unpardonable crimes under the Congress patronage. He also cited the Congress’s role in saving the Samajwadi Party government after the 1990 firing on volunteers who converged on Ayodhya as part of the Ram temple campaign.
Singh said the Congress is committing the fourth unpardonable crime by hurting the Constitution, constitutional values and institutions. “In 1975 [Prime Minister] Indira Gandhi put democracy behind bars [during the state of Emergency]. Today Rahul Gandhi keeps the Constitution in his pocket and tries to spread anarchy,” Singh said.
He accused the Congress of making the Election Commission of India (ECI) its puppet. “There was a recommendation to remove Naveen Chawla as an election commissioner [in 2009] over the allegation that he shared information with Congress. Congress elevated him to the post of the chief election commissioner.”
Singh said the Congress made former chief election commissioner MS Gill Union minister twice. “Until 1993, elections were held without voter IDs. Before 1993, there was no voter ID. There was no solid proof to establish voter identity. Since voter IDs were introduced, a majority has become a distant dream for Congress. Since the voter ID system was implemented, Congress has never formed a government,” he said.
The minister cited Congress’s vote theft allegation and said it won in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election last in 1985. “Congress has not got a majority since 1984, when BJP was a two-seat party. Was this vote theft or failure to work? Rahul Gandhi should answer.”
Singh said they never doubted constitutional institutions. “We never doubted the electoral system. We never misled people by defaming institutions. We always respected people, the Constitution and constitutional institutions,” Singh said. He said Congress has been out of power in Uttar Pradesh for the last 37 years. “Is this vote theft or failure to work? I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, can you win the Rae Bareli seat without the Samajwadi Party?”
He accused Rahul Gandhi of practising politics of disruption. “Democracy does not give licence to unleash violence,” he said, citing a Supreme Court observation on Thursday.