BJP and JD(U) allege Congress is undermining institutions and sowing unrest

The Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally Janata Dal (United) on Tuesday accused the Indian National Congress of undermining constitutional institutions and stirring disorder to grab power. In a joint press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, JD(U) Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh shared the stage with senior BJP Union Minister Piyush Goyal. Both condemned the alleged mistreatment of a pregnant journalist covering a Congress‑led protest on October 11, 2026. Goyal said that if the Congress truly doubts the Election Commission’s impartiality and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, the six chief ministers from states where the party is in power – Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu – should resign at once. He labelled Rahul Gandhi’s repeated claims of “vote theft” as baseless, noting the party has never filed an affidavit or produced evidence, and pointed out that Congress once supported electoral roll purification. Goyal also recalled the 2023 law that created a selection committee, including the Leader of the Opposition, to appoint Election Commissioners, contrasting it with past Congress‑era appointments of former election officials. Singh echoed the charge, accusing Gandhi of wanting institutions that remain loyal to him and citing two instances of former judges being favoured during the previous Congress government. He warned that the Congress’s protests outside the Supreme Court aim to pressure the court and revive a “1974‑75‑style” Emergency mindset that curtailed fundamental rights. Both ministers claimed the protests drew only a limited crowd and that the Congress’s policies are shrinking its electoral base, unlike the Modi‑led government.

Context

The Election Commission of India oversees free and fair elections, while the Special Intensive Revision process reviews electoral rolls. Accusations of politicising these bodies are common in Indian politics, especially after major electoral defeats.