Congress MP Imran Masood on Tuesday, 7 October 2026, reacted sharply to the detention and subsequent release of opposition leaders during protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the central government was systematically weakening democratic institutions. Masood warned that silence now would be unforgivable to future generations.

Masood's Statement on the Protests

Speaking to reporters, Masood said he had also fallen ill the previous night and had returned home at 10 pm. He framed the detentions within a broader democratic context, arguing that arrests and protests are a natural feature of democracy — but that what was being done to 'destroy democracy' crossed a different line entirely.

'In a democracy, arrests and protests are not unusual; they are a natural part of democratic life. But the work being done to destroy democracy is intolerable. If we remain silent today, future generations will not forgive us, because they have created a spectacle,' Masood said.

Demand for CEC's Resignation

Masood demanded the immediate resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the Election Commission's credibility has been 'severely damaged.' He claimed that public trust in the constitutional body has eroded significantly and alleged that those responsible 'have no moral right to remain in office.'

This comes amid the broader Opposition push linking the controversy to alleged electoral irregularities, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi having been at the forefront of raising the issue of alleged 'vote theft.'

Voter List Row and BJP's Rebuttal

On the dispute over voter rolls, Masood pushed back against the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) assertion that 13 crore names were only marked in a draft list and had not actually been deleted. He alleged that those voters were listed as ineligible, effectively stripping them of their franchise.

'You did not remove the names, but listed them as ineligible to vote. You deprived them of their right to vote. That is how you won. You formed the government with fewer votes than the number of people you deprived of their right to vote. In this case, your entire government is illegitimate,' he alleged.

Notably, these are contested claims. The Election Commission and BJP have maintained that no names were deleted from the final rolls without due process.

Broadside Against BJP's 'Seva Jyoti Yatra'

Taking aim at the BJP's nationwide Seva Jyoti Yatra — marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25 years in public life — Masood alleged that the country had suffered a net loss under the current government's tenure. He cited declining global credibility and weakening of constitutional institutions as evidence.

'India's credibility has declined globally. Respect for the country's constitutional institutions and their impartiality has eroded. The roots of democracy have been weakened,' he said.

Pakistan Warning and Communalism Caution

In a pointed warning, Masood drew a comparison with Pakistan to caution against politics driven by communalism and hatred. He invoked Muhammad Ali Jinnah's unfulfilled secular promise and argued that communal politics leads to national destruction.

'If you follow the foundation of hatred and communalism, the path to destruction will open, not prosperity. The fire of communalism destroys everyone because, when a fire starts, it does not look at whose house it is,' he said.

With Opposition protests showing no sign of de-escalation, all eyes remain on whether the Election Commission responds formally to the resignation demand and whether the voter roll controversy escalates into a larger constitutional confrontation.