Rijiju hits out at 'anti-India' gangs, Soros-backed regime change bid
Synopsis
Kiren Rijiju's X post invoking George Soros wasn't just political rhetoric — it signals the BJP's deliberate framing of the SIR electoral-roll protests as foreign-backed destabilisation. With over 13 crore names allegedly deleted from voters' lists, the Opposition has a combustible grievance; the ruling party is betting that a nationalism counter-narrative will defuse it.
Key Takeaways
Kiren Rijiju on 10 October posted on X accusing George Soros -linked forces of attempting to engineer regime change in India.
Rijiju compared the alleged conspiracy to the violent political transition in Bangladesh and civil unrest in France .
Protests erupted over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with Opposition alleging 13 crore names were dropped from voters' lists.
Opposition parties have demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh accused Rahul Gandhi , Prashant Bhushan , and Arvind Kejriwal of being part of the alleged 'Tukde-Tukde gang' .
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday, 10 October sharply attacked what he called 'anti-India' gangs and certain politicians, accusing them of attempting to engineer a regime change in India by inciting youth violence — and hinting at foreign funding behind the unrest linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Rijiju's X Post and the Soros Allegation
In a pointed post on X, Rijiju wrote: 'Regime change in India is absolutely possible — but only through elections, not through Soros,' directly naming American billionaire George Soros to suggest a foreign conspiracy behind the recent turmoil. Soros and his affiliated network have faced allegations in multiple countries of funding protest movements, particularly against conservative governments, though these allegations have been contested by Soros-linked organisations.
Rijiju drew a stark comparison with recent events abroad. 'The violent incident that occurred in Bangladesh and the riots, arson, and looting that took place in France — a similar conspiracy was hatched for India as well,' he said, pointing to the violent political transition in Bangladesh and the fresh wave of civil unrest in France as cautionary parallels.
The Backdrop: SIR Controversy and Opposition Protests
The minister's remarks come amid a charged political atmosphere following protests that erupted over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have alleged that the exercise resulted in the deletion of more than 13 crore names from the voters' list, and have demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging irregularities in the process. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has dismissed these charges as politically motivated.
Rijiju's Warning to Anti-Establishment Forces
'Anti-India gangs and some politicians had colluded to incite the youth and spread violence on our streets. But those who devised this dangerous conspiracy forgot that India is neither Bangladesh nor France,' Rijiju added, in remarks that underscored the BJP's framing of the unrest as an externally influenced destabilisation attempt rather than a domestic political grievance.
Giriraj Singh Targets Opposition Leaders
A day earlier on Saturday, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh took aim at Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that their conduct had revealed their true intentions.
Singh further alleged that opposition parties — including Shiv Sena, Congress, and others — were part of what he called the 'Tukde-Tukde gang', a label used by BJP leaders to describe groups they accuse of working against national unity. 'On one hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put India on the world map... on the other hand, these Opposition parties are all members of the Tukde-Tukde gang,' Singh alleged.
What Comes Next
The Opposition is unlikely to back down from its demand over the SIR controversy, with protests expected to continue. The BJP's counter-narrative — positioning the unrest as foreign-backed interference — sets the stage for an intensified political battle ahead of the next electoral cycle. How the Election Commission of India (ECI) responds to Opposition demands over Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will be closely watched in the coming days.
Point of View
Making it harder for the Opposition to press legitimate electoral concerns without being tagged as anti-national. The SIR row, however, is grounded in a verifiable grievance: if Opposition figures are right that 13 crore names were deleted, that is an electoral integrity issue that demands factual rebuttal, not just a nationalism counter-offensive. Rijiju's Bangladesh-France analogy is rhetorically powerful but structurally misleading — both those episodes had distinct political and institutional causes. The real question mainstream coverage is underplaying is whether the Election Commission will engage with the deletion numbers on the record, or allow the political noise to bury a data dispute that could affect millions of voters.
NationPress
18 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Kiren Rijiju say about George Soros and regime change in India?
Rijiju posted on X on 10 October alleging that foreign-backed forces, hinting at George Soros-linked networks, were behind attempts to destabilise India through the SIR electoral-roll protests. He stated that regime change in India is possible only through elections, not through Soros or external interference.
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls controversy?
The SIR is an electoral roll revision exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India. Opposition parties allege that the process resulted in more than 13 crore voter names being deleted from the rolls, and have called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's removal over the alleged irregularities.
Why did Rijiju compare India's situation to Bangladesh and France?
Rijiju cited the violent political transition in Bangladesh and civil unrest in France as examples of externally influenced or opposition-fuelled instability, arguing that a similar attempt was made in India but failed. Critics argue the comparison is misleading as both events had distinct domestic causes.
Who else from the BJP attacked the Opposition in this episode?
Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Saturday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Prashant Bhushan, and AAP's Arvind Kejriwal of revealing anti-national intentions, and alleged that opposition parties including Shiv Sena and Congress were part of the so-called 'Tukde-Tukde gang'.
What happens next in the SIR electoral rolls dispute?
The Opposition is expected to sustain pressure for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's removal and a review of the deleted voter names. The Election Commission's formal response to the 13-crore deletion allegation will be a key development to watch in the coming days.
