Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 18 (ANI): Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma on Sunday said talk of "regime change" in India was wrong and being used loosely, stating that governments in a democracy change only through the ballot while still maintaining that "credibility of the Election Commision must be restored".
Sharma said that a "regime" refers to the entire framework, including the Constitution, which his party is "defending and protecting." He said the government must "recognise the ground reality," and that voters have the right to decide which government to elect or reject.
BJP leaders have accused the Congress and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of pursuing "regime change" along the lines of Bangladesh amid the ongoing protests from INDIA Bloc over alleged irregularities in Special Intensive Revision.
"In democracies, governments remain in office because of the people's trust and votes. Governments change in democracies; they come and go through the electoral process, when people vote a government out if they are dissatisfied with it. We have a legal framework and a constitutional framework. So, anyone talking about regime change is wrong. Democracies function through the ballot. Regime change is different. When we talk about a regime, we are referring to the entire framework, including the Constitution. How can that be changed? We are defending and protecting it. That includes the constitutional rights of the citizens of India. This term is being used loosely, and one has to be careful," Sharma told ANI.
Sharma pointed to India's built-in institutions, including the Supreme Court, the Election Commission, Parliament and the Constitution, and said there was no need to sensationalise the issue.
"Democracies function in a defined manner. India has its institutions. The Supreme Court is one, the Election Commission is another, and we also have Parliament and the Constitution. That is why we are the world's largest democracy and a republic. These are built-in mechanisms. That is how the system works. We need not sensationalise the issue. There is a government in office, and the government has to recognise the ground reality. It is the people's right, when they vote, to decide which government to elect and which party or government to reject. You are the world's largest democracy. Yes, we are, and we should remain so. That is why the credibility of the electoral system must be restored," he said.
This came amid a political row triggered after senior advocate Prashant Bhushan described the ongoing agitation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as a “fight for regime change”.
Earlier on Saturday, Kiren Rijiju firmly declared that India's democratic regime is determined by public mandate through elections, rejecting any attempt to force unconstitutional political upheaval.
In a post on X, he strongly condemned the rhetoric, accusing political rivals and activists of trying to incite chaos and destabilise democratically elected constitutional institutions under the guise of street protests.
Rijiju stated that "India is not Bangladesh" and asserted that the country's youth are focused on building the nation rather than pulling it down.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has also accused the Congress and its allies of using youth-led protests in Delhi to spread "anarchy" and seek a Bangladesh-style change of government.
The Congress has defended against the charge. Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday defended the use of the term "regime change," describing it as a normal political process in a democracy. He said why the ruling party was displaying “feigned rage” over its use in a democracy.
Congress leader Pawan Khera has also said the Opposition's objective was to change the government through elections. "We ourselves are saying that we would change the regime...The intent of the Opposition is always to change the regime through elections...They are not habitual of democracy anymore,” he said. (ANI)
"Regime change term being used loosely, credibility of electoral system must be restored": Former MoS Anand Sharma
