New Delhi: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a sharp attack on the BJP and the RSS, alleging that they had deployed force against those protesting alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. He described them as “bullies like the Prime Minister of India” and dared RSS workers to confront the demonstrators directly.
The comments followed an INDIA bloc march in Delhi earlier in the day, held to press for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, an end to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and action over what the Opposition calls large-scale electoral manipulation.
In a message posted on X, Gandhi alleged that the ruling establishment had sent “goons” to assault protesters during the weekend demonstrations.
“I was wondering where the cowards of the RSS who were beating the young children the day before yesterday were. Where were those people? Because I didn’t see them,” he said.
“Why don’t you wear your little scarves and come out and see what happens? Because you’re essentially, like the Prime Minister of India, bullies. You cannot stand up. You can only use power to fight,” he added.
United Opposition Front
Gandhi sought to present the agitation as a single, broad-based movement rather than a set of disconnected demonstrations organised by individual parties, as reported by The New Indian Express.
“There are no parallel protests; there is one protest,” he said, adding that all those committed to defending the Constitution would stand with the Opposition.
Thanking participants in the march to the Supreme Court, the Congress leader said the mobilisation was meant to send an unmistakable message to the government that citizens could not be silenced through pressure or violence.
“Today was a very important day because we needed to show the government that the people of India are not going to be intimidated. You cannot beat us, threaten us, frighten us. We will not accept being bullied,” Gandhi said.
“Every single person is going to stand against these killers of our Constitution, these killers of our democracy. And we’re not going to back down,” he asserted.
He also expressed gratitude to civil society groups that joined the protest, saying their support strengthened the campaign to defend “the idea of India”, the Constitution and democracy.
“I’d also like to thank everybody from civil society organisations who came, supported us. We value your support, and we love all of you. Thank you all for coming out and defending the idea of India, the idea of the Constitution, the idea of our democracy. I’m extremely proud of every single person who came out on the streets. Thank you,” he said.
Direct Challenge To CEC
Earlier, addressing a press conference, Gandhi made a direct appeal to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down and cooperate with those investigating the alleged wrongdoing.
“Resign, turn approver; you (Kumar) have made a mistake but you are not the mind behind the mistake,” Gandhi said.
He claimed that Kumar was under pressure and warned that he could not continue in office.
“We know Gyanesh Kumar is unable to sleep at night; I am telling him directly, ‘you will not survive as CEC’,” Gandhi added.
He said the Opposition’s real target was not the CEC alone but the forces allegedly operating behind him. Describing the Constitution as his party’s “religion”, Gandhi said the movement would persist until electoral reforms were carried out.
“Till the time the Constitution is not upheld, the Election Commissioner does not go and election system is not revamped, the youth of the country are not going to stop,” he said.
“Five criminals will face justice. Five criminals have attacked the idea of India and attacked its soul. We will not budge or stop, no matter how much time it takes,” Gandhi added.
CJI Refuses Meeting
The political confrontation deepened after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declined a request from Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge for a meeting to discuss the alleged electoral irregularities, the SIR exercise and action against Kumar.
In an email sent on Sunday, the CJI’s office said the matters were sub judice and advised the leaders to approach the Supreme Court through a formal petition if they sought judicial intervention.
Gandhi and Kharge had sought an appointment for Monday between 4 pm and 5 pm to submit a memorandum seeking an end to alleged “vote chori”, a halt to the SIR and Kumar’s resignation.
Delhi saw tight security through the weekend as protests against the CEC continued. Authorities imposed movement restrictions, shut 45 metro stations and carried out extensive checks at the city’s borders, while thousands of demonstrators, including leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party and former chief ministers, were detained.