Pradeep Bhandari links violent protests to ‘regime change’

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari on Sunday, October 18, criticised people who defend violent protests, alleging in a post on X that such demonstrations seek to remove governments rather than simply express dissent. The Economic Times reported his remarks amid a political confrontation over electoral-roll revision and protests in New Delhi.

Bhandari invoked unrest abroad as a warning for India and urged supporters of democracy to oppose what he characterised as anarchic politics. He described political change pursued through force and violence as undemocratic.

Electoral-roll dispute forms the backdrop

The report linked the remarks to public discussions of “regime change” by senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, All India Students Association president Neha Bora and Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera at conferences and press addresses in Delhi. Those discussions took place against the backdrop of protests targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

It also said student activists, including Bora at a Socialist Students Front conference, had referred to the student-led uprising in Bangladesh that removed Sheikh Hasina from power. Opposition groups and civil society organisations have held a series of marches in Delhi carrying the Indian national flag.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh separately accused Congress and its allies of seeking a Bangladesh-style political upheaval in India. Speaking at a press conference in Lucknow, he alleged that young people were being drawn into politics intended to generate unrest rather than resolve concerns about electoral reform.

Allegations do not establish violent intent

The reported remarks establish the BJP leaders’ accusations, not a demonstrated plan by the named opposition figures or protest organisers to overthrow the government through violence. The account does not document violence at the Delhi marches or provide the full remarks of those who discussed “regime change”. Their use of the phrase alone does not establish support for coercion.

The electoral-roll irregularities also remain allegations in this account. It includes neither an Election Commission response to those claims nor responses from the named opposition figures to the BJP leaders’ accusations.