Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a wide-ranging attack on the government during a parliamentary debate, alleging that the BJP is systematically eroding democratic institutions and enabling “vote theft”, particularly in the recent Haryana Assembly elections.
Gandhi said that India’s democratic architecture, from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha down to local panchayats, rests on the sanctity of the vote. “If the vote does not have sanctity, nothing functions,” he said. He also claimed that the RSS “does not believe in equality” and argued that attempts to dominate institutions were rooted in the ideology that followed Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination by Nathuram Godse in 1948.
His remarks prompted Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to intervene, saying Gandhi was deviating from the subject of election reforms. Gandhi countered that the debate itself centred on voting, alleged malpractice and the need to “protect the integrity of elections”, insisting he was not being given adequate time to speak.
He further accused the BJP of attempting to “capture key institutions”, including intelligence agencies such as the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate, and asserted that the ruling party ultimately seeks to “control the Election Commission”. According to him, the Commission has been used to “damage democracy”.
Criticising the 2023 legislative changes that granted immunity to election commissioners, Gandhi questioned amendments to CCTV rules that allow election footage to be destroyed after 45 days. He also cited reported irregularities in Haryana, asking how “a Brazilian model appeared 22 times in the state’s voter list”.
Gandhi argued that election reforms were “simple and straightforward” but claimed the government “has no intention” of implementing them. Among his proposals were providing voter lists to political parties a month in advance, reversing the law permitting destruction of CCTV footage, allowing limited access to EVMs, and amending the law that shields election commissioners from scrutiny. Addressing the commissioners directly, he said, “We will change the law and hold you accountable.”
Calling vote theft the “biggest anti-national act”, Gandhi said such practices strike at “the very idea of India”. He concluded that unless institutions remain independent and elections transparent, the country’s democratic character “cannot be protected”.
