'Ulterior motive to seize power': BJP targets Rahul Gandhi after Prashant Bhushan's regime change remark

The BJP on Thursday stepped up its attack on Rahul Gandhi and the opposition over the anti-Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) protests, seizing on senior advocate Prashant Bhushan's open endorsement of "regime change" to argue that the agitation against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was driven by a larger political agenda. At a press conference on Thursday evening, Bhushan, who is part of the protesting group, said the movement was now "really a fight for regime change against a dictatorial government", drawing a sharp response from the BJP. "Yes, we want regime change," Bhushan said, adding that opposing a government was not a crime in a democracy. He argued that the protests were aimed at ensuring elections were conducted properly, but warned that continued suppression of dissent could lead to a change in government. "What is wrong with that?" he asked, pointing out that the BJP had also led movements seeking regime change when it was in opposition. Bhushan was speaking alongside AISA's Neha Bora and CJP's Abhijeet Dipke. He also said attempts by the authorities to suppress protests would only bring more people onto the streets. The BJP said Bhushan's remarks vindicated its allegations that the SIR controversy was being used as a pretext to pursue a broader political objective. "Prashant Bhushan spoke about bloodshed, Neha Bora talks about Bangladesh. It shows that for Rahul Gandhi and his ecosystem the SIR process was just a smoke screen. Their ulterior motive and anarchic agenda has always been to derail Indian democracy and seize power undemocratically," BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan told NDTV. Kesavan also questioned Rahul Gandhi's suitability to continue as Leader of the Opposition, calling him a threat to national unity in a post on X. The BJP's latest attack followed a controversy over a video of Neha Bora, in which she described the youth-led protests in Bangladesh as an inspiration for India's Gen Z movement. "The Gen Z movement we are seeing everywhere in this country first started in Bangladesh and congratulations to you for showing us the way and extending solidarity to the young people of this country," Bora said in the 39-second clip circulated by the BJP. BJP spokesperson Pradip Bhandari had alleged that the remarks exposed the protesters' intentions, claiming that Rahul Gandhi and those associated with him wanted to replicate the events in Bangladesh. The controversy has added a fresh political dimension to the protests against the CEC, with the BJP arguing that the agitation over electoral-roll revisions is part of a wider effort to challenge the government, while the protesters have framed their campaign around electoral integrity and opposition to what they describe as the suppression of democratic dissent.