BJP accuses Congress of targeting Army, judiciary and institutions abroad
Synopsis
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi delivered a systematic counter-offensive on Tuesday, listing over a dozen Indian institutions — from the Army and Air Force to SEBI and vaccines — that the Congress has allegedly attacked. The broadside followed an INDIA bloc march to the Election Commission demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over voter roll irregularities, a march security personnel stopped short of its destination.
Key Takeaways
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Congress of repeatedly targeting Indian institutions including the Army, Air Force, LIC, HAL, SBI, SEBI , the judiciary , and vaccines .
INDIA bloc MPs marched on the Election Commission of India headquarters in New Delhi on 6 October , demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over alleged SIR irregularities; they were stopped by security personnel.
Trivedi cited Rahul Gandhi's March 2023 overseas remarks calling on Western 'defenders of democracy' to act on India, claiming US officials had instead praised India's electoral process.
The BJP MP drew a parallel with 4.5 crore suspicious MGNREGA beneficiaries and 5.8 crore suspicious ration card holders to argue voter rolls can legitimately contain errors.
Trivedi noted Congress was already out of contention in 228 Lok Sabha seats before the last SIR in 2003 , attributing the party's decline to internal failures, not institutional bias.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, 6 October launched a sharp attack on the Indian National Congress (INC), accusing it of repeatedly undermining India's constitutional institutions — from the armed forces to the judiciary — including on foreign soil. The BJP's salvo came hours after INDIA bloc MPs attempted a protest march to the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Protest That Was Stopped
Opposition members of the INDIA bloc marched toward the ECI office in New Delhi, citing concerns about the integrity of the ongoing SIR of voter rolls. Security personnel intercepted the march midway, preventing the leaders from reaching the commission's premises. The demonstration underscored deepening tensions between the Opposition and the poll body ahead of ongoing bypolls.
BJP's Broadside: 'How Many Institutions Has Congress Accused?'
Addressing a press conference, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi catalogued what he called a pattern of institutional attacks by Congress. Trivedi said: 'From the Indian Army to the Indian Air Force, from India's defence sector to LIC, HAL, SBI, SEBI, the Judiciary, the media and vaccines, how many institutions of the country has the Congress accused so far? One dozen, half a dozen, one-and-a-half dozen or two dozen? There should be a quiz contest on how many Indian institutions the Congress, particularly Rahul Gandhi, has accused so far.'
The Foreign Soil Allegation
Targeting Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Trivedi recalled remarks Gandhi allegedly made during an overseas visit in March 2023. According to the BJP MP, Gandhi had asked why 'defenders of democracy' in America, England, and Europe were not acting on India's democratic situation — a charge the BJP has consistently used to frame the Congress as undermining India's reputation internationally. Trivedi countered that American officials had, in fact, praised India's electoral process as a model for others.
Voter Roll Controversy and BJP's Counter-Questions
Turning the debate back on Congress, Trivedi drew a pointed parallel: if authorities could identify 4.5 crore suspicious beneficiaries in MGNREGA and 5.8 crore suspicious ration card holders, he argued, it was entirely plausible that voter rolls could contain erroneous entries requiring revision. He noted that Congress was already absent from 228 Lok Sabha seats before the last SIR conducted in 2003, and challenged the party to explain its own electoral decline without attributing it to institutional conspiracy.
Bypolls and 'Theatrics' Jibe
With bypolls under way on Tuesday, Trivedi pressed the Congress on whether it had independently verified voter lists or CCTV arrangements in the constituencies it was contesting. 'Since you are contesting the polls, have you got the voter lists checked?... you will also get time to check CCTV footages. So, have you put everything in place or do you want to do theatrics on the streets after a year?' he said. The remark was widely seen as a pre-emptive attempt to discredit any future Opposition complaints about poll conduct.
The exchange reflects a broader pattern of institutional credibility becoming a political battleground — a trend that is likely to intensify as India's election calendar fills up through 2026 and beyond.
Point of View
It shifts the narrative away from the specific — and verifiable — question of SIR integrity. The INDIA bloc's decision to march on the ECI hands the ruling party a ready-made counter: the image of opposition leaders threatening an independent commission rather than engaging its processes. Yet the underlying concern about voter roll accuracy is not trivial; disputed SIRs have historically been a legitimate flashpoint in Indian electoral law. Both sides are playing to their bases — and neither is engaging the granular evidence that would actually settle whether the revisions are flawed.
NationPress
6 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did INDIA bloc MPs march to the Election Commission on 6 October 2026?
Opposition INDIA bloc MPs marched to the Election Commission of India headquarters in New Delhi on 6 October to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Security personnel stopped the march before it reached the ECI premises.
What did BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi say about Congress and India's institutions?
Trivedi alleged that Congress has systematically accused a wide range of Indian institutions — including the Army, Air Force, LIC, HAL, SBI, SEBI, the judiciary, media, and vaccines — calling for a 'quiz contest' to count them. He specifically targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for making these allegations on foreign soil during an overseas visit in March 2023.
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls?
The Special Intensive Revision is an exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India to update, verify, and clean up voter rolls by identifying and removing ineligible or suspicious entries. The Opposition has alleged that the current SIR is being conducted irregularly, though the ECI has not publicly accepted that characterisation.
How did BJP link MGNREGA and ration card fraud to the voter roll debate?
BJP MP Trivedi argued that if 4.5 crore suspicious MGNREGA beneficiaries and 5.8 crore suspicious ration card holders could be identified and removed from government schemes, it stands to reason that voter rolls could similarly contain erroneous entries justifying intensive revision. He used the comparison to undercut the Congress argument that questioning voter rolls is inherently suspect.
What is Congress's political position on the Election Commission row?
Congress and its INDIA bloc allies have demanded CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, citing what they allege are irregularities in the SIR process. The party argues the revision could disenfranchise legitimate voters. The BJP has rejected these claims as politically motivated, noting Congress's own electoral decline predates the BJP's rise to power.
