Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday, 30 October launched a sharp attack on the Congress and Rahul Gandhi in Raipur, accusing the Opposition of targeting constitutional institutions to conceal repeated electoral defeats. Nadda was speaking at the 'Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao' (Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy) Yatra, attended by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and several state ministers.

Nadda's Charge Against Congress on Democracy

Nadda alleged that the Congress — the party that imposed the Emergency and suppressed democratic freedoms — was now positioning itself as democracy's guardian. He argued that genuine democratic mandates are delivered through elections, not through street protests or, as he put it, attempts to engineer anarchy. He urged BJP workers to carry the facts to villages, chaupals, and localities, countering what he described as an irresponsible Opposition campaign against the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Defence of the Special Intensive Revision Process

Nadda defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying the exercise was purifying voter lists by removing the names of deceased persons, duplicate entries, voters who had shifted, and individuals not found at their registered addresses. He claimed the SIR had exposed abnormal increases in voter numbers in border districts of West Bengal, linking those irregularities to what he described as the presence of infiltrators on rolls.

He alleged that the Congress was more concerned about the deletion of infiltrators' names than about protecting the voting rights of genuine Indian citizens. 'If we want to take the country forward, we must extend our full support to SIR,' Nadda said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made clear that 'no foreign national or ineligible person has the right to vote in India.'

Attack on Rahul Gandhi Over Unsubstantiated Claims

Nadda criticised Rahul Gandhi for making allegations of vote theft without filing supporting affidavits. He pointed out that 477 days had elapsed since Gandhi's claim of one lakh fake votes in Mahadevapura, Karnataka, yet no evidence had been submitted to the Election Commission. He said similar allegations in Maharashtra and Haryana also remained unsubstantiated.

On Election Commissioner Appointments

Nadda contrasted the current selection process for Election Commissioners — which includes the Leader of the Opposition — with what he characterised as the Congress-era practice of rewarding Election Commissioners with political posts, governorships, or other appointments after they left office. He argued this reform demonstrated the BJP government's commitment to institutional integrity.

What Comes Next

Nadda called on party workers to intensify public awareness efforts so that attempts to undermine constitutional institutions are, in his words, 'firmly rejected by the people.' With the SIR process continuing and the Opposition's pressure on the ECI showing no sign of easing, the political battle over electoral roll credibility is set to intensify ahead of upcoming state elections.