BJP National General Secretary Smriti Irani on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Indian National Congress (Congress), accusing the opposition party of systematically undermining India's constitutional institutions — particularly the Election Commission of India (ECI) — while being a party that was, by her account, historically founded to serve British imperial interests.

The Core Accusation

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Irani directed her remarks at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, citing what she described as a declared intent to damage Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image. 'In the year 2019, the former National President of the Congress party said that they would make every possible effort to tarnish the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,' she said.

Irani argued that Modi himself had drawn a distinction between personal attacks and attacks on democratic institutions. 'Prime Minister Modi has repeatedly said that they may mock him or attack him, but this attack by Congress should not turn into an attack on constitutional institutions and the democracy of India,' she stated. 'However, the leadership of the Congress Party is leaving no stone unturned to tear apart the constitutional framework of India.'

Defending the Election Commission

Irani defended the ECI amid what she characterised as an orchestrated campaign against it. 'As a citizen of India, I would like to say that the Election Commission strengthens the country's electoral system; it is India's pride which several countries across the world have hailed,' she said.

She further claimed that Congress's criticism of the poll body stems from electoral frustration rather than genuine institutional concern. 'Instead of analysing their defeat, the Congress party is attacking the Election Commission,' she remarked. Irani also posed a pointed question: in states such as Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, and Karnataka — where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not in power — has the Congress leadership extended the same scrutiny to the ECI's functioning?

The Electoral Rolls Controversy

Referring to a statement issued by Congress following its Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Tuesday, Irani took aim at the party's invocation of 13 crore 30 lakh names allegedly missing or duplicated in electoral rolls. She noted that the ECI had already addressed this matter in a statement dated 26 September. 'If the electoral rolls consist of duplication of voters and include names of the deceased, then why does the leadership of the Congress party again want the names of deceased people to be restored in the electoral rolls?' she questioned, suggesting the Congress position was internally contradictory.

The Historical Argument: AO Hume and Congress's Origins

In the most pointed segment of her address, Irani invoked the founding of the Congress party, responding to the opposition's reference to the Lahore Congress session. She claimed that AO Hume, who served as Secretary in the Department of Revenue, Agriculture, and Commerce under the British administration, had discussed with the then Viceroy that the formation of the Congress was essential to protect the British empire. 'It is historically documented that AO Hume had discussed with the then Viceroy that formation of the Congress party was essential to provide protection of the British empire,' she alleged.

'The party which was formed for the protection of the British government is today attacking the country's Election Commission by mentioning the Lahore Congress session. There cannot be anything more shameful than this,' Irani added. Historians and Congress leaders have long contested this characterisation of the party's founding, arguing that AO Hume's motivations were more complex and that the Congress rapidly evolved into a vehicle for Indian self-determination.

What This Signals

The BJP's broadside comes amid a sustained period of opposition pressure on the ECI over electoral roll management and poll process transparency. The exchange reflects a deepening confrontation between the ruling party and Congress over the credibility of India's electoral machinery — a debate that is likely to intensify ahead of upcoming state assembly elections.