Rajnath Singh accuses Congress of seeking ‘regime change through violence’ amid anti-CEC protests

Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday targeted the Congress party over its recent protests against chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying that it wants “regime change by unleashing violence” in the country.Union defence minister Rajnath Singh accused the Congress of turning the Election Commission into its “puppet” while in power. (Deepak Gupta/HT Photo)"Congress wants to follow the Bangladesh model of violence for regime change. Congress protest is not against Gyanesh Kumar and SIR but against democracy to topple government," he said during a press conference in Lucknow.Singh accused the Congress of turning the Election Commission into its “puppet” while in power."In 1993, Congress made overnight changes in the EC. The then Chief EC had recommended to the President of India that the then EC, Naveen Chawla, be removed. But Congress elevated him to the post of Chief Election Commissioner," Singh said."Before 1993, there was no voter ID card. There was nothing to prove voters' identity. After voter ID was rolled out, Congress has not been able to form a government on its own," he said.The minister alleged that the Congress' protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and CEC Gyanesh Kumar were not about electoral rolls but an “attempt to weaken institutions” that function independently.He said Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi needed to understand that democracy did not give anyone the right to resort to violence. "Rahul is doing the politics of disruption," Singh added.More details will be added shortly.