Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to the floor on Friday in New Delhi, calling the Congress and Rahul Gandhi's protests against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls a threat to national stability. He warned that the opposition was mobilising youth to create disorder reminiscent of the 1984 anti‑Sikh riots and the Emergency of 1975. Singh said Congress had lost the moral right to use the Gandhi name and urged Rahul Gandhi to introspect.
The SIR exercise, launched in September, has already triggered nationwide protests and legal challenges. On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi in response to a petition filed by Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders. The court’s notice seeks their replies by 5 October, setting a tight deadline for the government to defend the roll‑revision process.
Singh invoked the Emergency and the 1984 riots to paint the opposition as a danger to constitutional institutions. He recalled the Congress‑led UPA government's approval of the 1993 expansion of the Election Commission and the controversy over Navin Chawla's appointment, arguing that the party had historically compromised the body it now attacks. Rajnath accused Rahul of promising a 'hydrogen bomb' of evidence that never materialised, dismissing the claim as a 'firecracker'.
In the capital’s crowded streets, a 23‑year‑old Delhi resident named Anjali Sharma said she feared the protests would spill into violence. 'We’re just people trying to vote, not to stir unrest,' she told reporters, echoing the anxieties of thousands of ordinary citizens.
The next step will be the Supreme Court’s reply, expected in the coming weeks, and the government’s submission to the court's notice. Meanwhile, the Election Commission is preparing to present its case on the legitimacy of the SIR exercise before the judiciary.