Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Kadam on Sunday, 11 October condemned the ongoing protests in New Delhi and other major cities, asserting that those agitating must present concrete evidence before, as he put it, 'spreading anarchy' across the country. Kadam also questioned whether foreign funding was fuelling the unrest linked to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Kadam's Core Challenge to Protesters

Speaking to reporters, Kadam said that evidence and facts must precede political street action. 'Congress leaders carry the Constitution in their hands and speak about it, but their actions are aimed at undermining it. Are they above the law and administrative procedures, including the requirement to obtain permission?' he said.

The BJP leader further alleged that Rahul Gandhi's conduct since returning from the United States has been puzzling and potentially externally motivated. 'Ever since he returned from the US, it is unclear what has come over him and what is driving his actions. Is foreign funding behind his attempts to create unrest here?' Kadam said.

Electoral Roll Purification at the Heart of the Row

Kadam defended the ongoing voter list purification exercise, which appears to be the principal grievance animating the protests. He pointed out that the electoral roll had not been comprehensively reviewed between 2004 and 2025, and argued the current process is both overdue and transparent.

'The voter list purification process has been carried out during the tenures of several Prime Ministers, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh,' he said. He cited figures to contest critics' claims: more than 1 crore voters' names are allegedly duplicated in the rolls, and over 6.3 crore voters have reportedly moved away from their registered addresses. 'Is a dead person above the 2.8 crore voters? Is removing those names a crime?' he asked.

Notably, the electoral roll revision has drawn sharp opposition from several parties, who allege it could disenfranchise legitimate voters. Kadam dismissed such fears as politically motivated and linked, in his view, to foreign interference.

Kadam Takes Aim at Rohit Pawar Over Ajit Pawar Remarks

Kadam also turned his fire on Nationalist Congress Party – Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, who had earlier cast doubt on the circumstances surrounding the death of former Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar in a plane crash.

According to Kadam, Rohit Pawar had promised — approximately 15 days prior — to reveal a so-called 'mystery behind the muffler' by 10 October, a deadline that passed without any disclosure. 'Rohit Pawar has engaged in political theatrics... This shows that he is engaging in cheap political stunts,' Kadam said.

Rohit Pawar had previously sought intervention by probe agencies into the plane crash that killed Ajit Pawar, according to earlier reports. Kadam's remarks signal that the BJP intends to hold opposition leaders accountable for unsubstantiated claims as well as the broader protest campaign.

What This Signals for the Political Landscape

The BJP's aggressive pushback — questioning the legality of protests, raising the spectre of foreign funding, and attacking opposition credibility on both the electoral roll and the Ajit Pawar death — suggests the party is moving to frame the current unrest as manufactured rather than organic. With state-level elections on the horizon, the battle over the legitimacy of protests and voter list revisions is likely to intensify.