LUCKNOW: Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday lashed out at the Congress and its allies over the protests in the national capital, accusing them of seeking a regime change along the lines of Bangladesh and using the energy of youth to spread "anarchy".

Addressing a press conference here, Singh asserted that democracy does not give anyone the licence to create disorder or undermine the credibility of constitutional institutions.

"It appears that the Congress and its political allies, directly and through their supporting organisations, are trying to use the energy of the youth to fuel political confrontation and spread anarchy instead of channelling it towards constructive work and nation-building," the defence minister said.

"The youth of the country are being made pawns in the politics of anarchy," he stated.

Singh alleged that the Congress and its allies want a change of government in India along the lines of Bangladesh.

"They openly say at press conferences that they have drawn inspiration from Bangladesh for regime change, while another speaks openly about bringing down the government. This makes it clear that their only agenda is to dismantle democratic institutions and set the country on fire," he said referring to the uprising in Bangladesh in 2024 that toppled the Sheikh Hasina government.

Singh said Mahatma Gandhi had suspended the entire non-cooperation movement following the violence at Chauri Chaura.

However, the Congress, which claims to be Gandhi's political heir, wants to "avenge" its electoral defeats on the country by talking about a change of government through "violence and anarchy", he said, calling it "the height of the decline in the Congress' moral values".

"The Congress wants to push the country into the fire of violence and anarchy and is dreaming of creating a situation similar to Bangladesh. In view of this, I can say that the Congress has completely lost the moral right to use Gandhi's name," the defence minister said.

Singh said the use of terms such as "regime change" showed that the opposition's campaign was not about electoral reforms or issues related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

His remarks come amid massive protests in the national capital by opposition parties and civil society groups demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR process.

Opposition leaders have alleged that the exercise lacks transparency and could exclude eligible voters.

Referring to the Supreme Court's observations on pleas related to the SIR issue Thursday, Singh said Rahul Gandhi and his allies need to understand that democracy does not permit attempts to create anarchy, undermine constitutional institutions or obstruct India's development.

"Respecting the law is also essential to maintaining law and order. India's democratic institutions cannot be sacrificed at the altar of political self-interest," he said.

Singh added that falsehoods, anger, attempts to malign institutions and political opportunism could not obstruct India's development.

He advised Gandhi to respect the people's mandate and introspect on his political role instead of pursuing what he called "politics of destruction" in the name of protecting democracy.

"India's future is everyone's responsibility. We must choose the path of dialogue and nation-building, not confrontation," Singh said.

The minister also questioned the Congress' allegations of vote theft, saying the party had failed to win a majority on its own for decades. He said the Congress last formed a government in Uttar Pradesh in 1985.

"After 1984, the Congress did not get a majority at the Centre. At that time, the BJP was a party with just two seats. Was it vote theft or failure to deliver? Rahul Gandhi should answer this," he said.

Referring to Gandhi's description of the alleged electoral irregularities as a "hydrogen bomb", Singh said the claim had failed to make an impact.

He also claimed that the Congress had not filed a single formal appeal against the electoral rolls, alleging that it had no evidence to support its charges.

Singh said the BJP had never questioned constitutional institutions or the country's electoral system, and accused the Congress of attempting to mislead people by casting doubts on these institutions.

Referring to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, Singh questioned the Congress over the postponement of elections across the country then following the incident.

He said the death of a candidate normally leads to the postponement of polling only in the constituency concerned, and claimed that the Amethi election had already been held when the decision to defer elections nationwide was taken.

Singh also questioned the Congress' political strength in Uttar Pradesh, where it has been out of power since 1989. He asked Gandhi whether the Congress could win even the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat without the support of the Samajwadi Party.

Referring to the recent clashes among Congress leaders in the state, he asked whether the BJP was responsible for the discord within the party's Uttar Pradesh unit.

During the press conference, the defence minister also cited India's economic and defence achievements under the Modi government.

He said India's global standing had improved and the country had emerged as one of the fastest-growing major economies.

The defence minister also said that India's defence production had increased and the country has emerged as an exporter of defence equipment.