New Delhi: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the RSS and the BJP-led government of systematically capturing India’s key institutions, including the Election Commission and also added there is no bigger anti-national act than vote chori (vote theft).
He also slammed the RSS saying that it believes in a hierarchy, and they believe that they should be on top of that hierarchy.
Speaking in the Lower House on the electoral reforms, Rahul Gandhi said, “I am saying that institutions of India are captured, and I will come to the point that the Election Commission is captured.
He alleged that the project of the RSS since Independence had been to take control of the country’s institutional framework.
The Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli said that India’s education system had been compromised through politically motivated appointments.
“Vice Chancellor after Vice Chancellor is placed not on merit, not on capability, not on scientific temper, but on the fact that he belongs to a particular organisation,” he said, referring to the RSS.
Linking these claims to the broader context of electoral reforms, the Congress leader asserted that attempts to centralise control over institutions directly damage democratic processes and weaken the integrity of elections.
He further accused the government of extending this capture to investigative and enforcement agencies.
“Second capture, which helps in destroying democracy, is the capture of the intelligence agencies, the capture of the CBI, of the ED, of the Income Tax Department, and the systematic placement of bureaucrats who favour their ideology and attack the opposition and anybody who chooses to oppose the RSS,” Rahul Gandhi said, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah present in the House.
Rahul Gandhi also alleged that the recent Haryana Assembly election was stolen and that the Election Commission allowed the theft as he mentioned the Brazilian woman photo featuring at 22 places in electoral rolls.
Following this there was uproar in the House as Rahul Gandhi complained to the Speaker that he was not being allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha.
“I am not being allowed to speak,” he said.
This resulted in brief but sharp exchange in the Lok Sabha when Union Minister Kiren Rijiju interrupted Rahul Gandhi midway through his address during the House debate on electoral reforms.
As the Congress lsader spoke on the significance of the vote and raised broader concerns about institutional integrity, Rijiju stood up to object, saying the LoP was straying from the subject under discussion.
The LoP has not made a single remark on electoral reforms, Rijiju said, prompting murmurs across both sides of the House.
Rahul Gandhi also alleged that the ruling party has a set of election campaigns that are tailored for the Prime Minister
Targeting the poll panel, Rahul Gandhi said, BJP is directing and using the Election Commission to damage the Indian democracy.
He alleged that the government had altered the selection process for Election Commissioners, excluding the Chief Justice of India, which he claimed created an unfair imbalance favoring the ruling party.
Firing salvos at the government, he said, “Why the EC’s autonomy is being weakened, and whether the government will restore mechanisms ensuring its independence? What safeguards are in place to prevent manipulation of voter rolls during the SIR process amid complaints from multiple states? Why appointments and decisions of the EC appear increasingly aligned with political interests, and whether the government would commit to transparent reforms?”
Intensifying his attack on the government he alleged that the Election Commission was working in tandem with those in power to influence electoral outcomes.
Rahul Gandhi also said he had already placed material before Parliament to demonstrate this alleged nexus.
“I have given proof how the Election Commission is colluding with those in power to shape elections, he said, asserting that the integrity of India’s democratic process was under threat.
The Congress leader accused the government of weakening institutional independence and manipulating electoral mechanisms, claims that were immediately rejected by treasury benches.
The former Congress chief then accused the RSS of rejecting the principle of equality.
He said, it is the idea that every thread, every person in the Union of India is equal that disturbs my friends in the RSS.
“They are happy to see the fabric, but they cannot stand the idea that every single person in the fabric of our country, regardless of what religion they come from, regardless of what community they come from, regardless of what language they speak, should be equal because they fundamentally do not believe in equality. They believe in a hierarchy, and they believe that they should be on top of that hierarchy,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi also invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s symbolism of khadi to underline the importance of unity and equality, describing the nation as a collective fabric where each citizen represents an equal thread.
His remarks sparked an uproar in the House, with BJP leaders claiming he had not addressed electoral reforms directly.
Rahul Gandhi framed his criticism through three pointed questions directed at the Centre, alleging that the neutrality and independence of the Election Commission (EC) were being systematically eroded.
While addressing the House, the Congress leader said “the EC must function as a constitutional guardian of elections, not as an instrument of the ruling party”.
He claimed recent developments, including alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, reflected deeper institutional concerns.
