India's constitutional machinery is under fire — and Congress is pointing the gun squarely at the ruling establishment. Congress leader Sachin Pilot, general secretary and Chhattisgarh in-charge, launched a sharp broadside on Thursday, September 24, 2026, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of inflicting 'serious damage' on India's constitutional order, rule of law, and democratic processes.

Pilot's post, made in Hindi, zeroes in on a specific demand: the immediate dismissal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He also calls for fixed accountability for both Modi and Shah. The language is unambiguous — 'यह मुद्दा देश और जनता के खिलाफ गंभीर अपराध है' (this issue is a serious crime against the country and its people) — framing electoral conduct not as a procedural dispute but as an attack on voters themselves.

Rahul Gandhi's long-running scrutiny of election processes

Pilot grounds his attack in a pattern he says Congress has been documenting for years. He points to Rahul Gandhi's repeated, fact-based questioning of electoral processes in Karnataka, Haryana, and several other states — concerns that, Pilot alleges, received neither independent investigation nor concrete action, due to what he describes as 'collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission.'

The broader Congress argument here has a legislative anchor. The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 overhauled how the CEC is appointed, removing the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel and replacing that seat with a Cabinet minister nominated by the Prime Minister. Opposition parties, including Congress, argued at the time that the new process fatally compromised the Commission's independence. Pilot's post is, in part, a revival of that old challenge — now sharpened with a direct dismissal demand.

BJP-RSS and the Election Commission: the allegation at the core

The post's most explosive charge is structural: that BJP-RSS has used the Election Commission as a vehicle to strike at democratic order itself. Pilot writes that 'BJP-RSS has dealt a serious blow to the democratic system through the Election Commission.' This is not a complaint about one result or one day's procedure — it is a claim of institutional capture.

The Election Commission of India, a constitutionally enshrined body, has faced a sustained wave of opposition criticism since 2019, with Congress and allied parties raising concerns about the timing of model code enforcement, EVM reliability, and the pace of response to complaints. The 2023 appointment law became a flashpoint that opposition benches took to the Supreme Court, reflecting how deep the trust deficit runs.

What Pilot is asking for — and why it matters now

Three demands crystallise from the post: the immediate dismissal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar; strict action on the broader matter; and accountability fixed on Modi and Shah personally. The call to dismiss a sitting Chief Election Commissioner is constitutionally extraordinary — under Article 324 of the Constitution, the CEC can only be removed through a process akin to impeaching a Supreme Court judge. Pilot's demand, whether or not it advances procedurally, is designed to force a conversation about whether the current occupant of that office can command public confidence.

The post tags @INCIndia, senior Congress figures K. C. Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi, the Election Commission's official handle, and the Ministry of Law and Justice — a clear signal that Congress intends to push this beyond social media and into institutional channels.

If the opposition's pressure finds a parliamentary or judicial forum, the CEC appointment law of 2023 will once again sit at the heart of India's most consequential democratic debate.