Oppn defends democratic protests; BJP hits out at Irfan Ansari over 'regime change' remark

New Delhi: A political controversy has erupted over Jharkhand Health Minister and Congress leader Irfan Ansari's remarks that around 40 lakh youths were waiting for a signal from Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to take to the streets, warning that the situation in India could become worse than in Bangladesh and Nepal. While Opposition leaders have maintained that any change of government must take place through democratic and constitutional means, BJP leaders have accused Ansari of encouraging unrest and attempting to create anarchy.

Speaking to IANS, Congress leader Udit Raj responded to Ansari's statement, questioning the minister's claim about the number of youths and asserting that the Opposition's approach was rooted in constitutional methods.

“Only Irfan Ansari would know where the 40 lakh youth are. It could be 40 lakh or even 4 crore. Our path of struggle is democratic and constitutional. It is neither the Bangladesh model nor the Nepal model. We believe in democracy. In Nepal, the country's own heritage was set on fire by its youth, while the situation in Bangladesh was also very disturbing. That is not our path. Our path is one of non-violence,” he said.

Congress leader Rakesh Sinha, meanwhile, defended the right of young people to protest and questioned the government's response to demonstrations.

“Protesting is a constitutional right. If the youth put up their demands, will you shoot at them with pellet guns and take away their eyesight? You won't even file an FIR. If this situation continues, how are the youth going to suppress their emotions? And whenever the youth gets aggressive, there has been regime change, and we assure you that there will be change,” he said.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Dr Ashutosh Verma said that any change of government in a democratic country like India could happen only through established democratic processes.

“The Samajwadi Party is in support of this. We will defeat them the way they have defeated us. The Samajwadi Party is going to form a government with a clear mandate and the trust of people. This is the only way ahead,” he said.

Meanwhile, NDA leaders criticised Ansari’s remarks and demanded that he should be sacked.

BJP Bihar President Sanjay Saraogi strongly criticised Ansari's remarks, describing them as an admission of what he alleged was a Congress-backed attempt to create political instability.

“This anti-national and poisonous statement by Jharkhand government minister Irfan Ansari is an open admission of Congress' well-planned anarchic and violent conspiracy. Such anti-national statements, talking about regime change and turning India into Bangladesh or Nepal, will never succeed in a country like India,” Saraogi said.

He added that India was a democratic nation with 1.4 billion citizens and alleged that no one would be allowed to create unrest at the behest of foreign powers.

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan also criticised the minister, saying such statements reflected a lack of understanding of India's democratic institutions.

“First, such leaders should be sent to Kanke, where there is a very good mental health facility. They are unfamiliar with democracy's power in this country. India is not Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. It is the world's largest democracy, with a population nearing 150 crore; you cannot repeat what happened in smaller nations here. These statements should not be taken that seriously,” he said.

BJP Jharkhand spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo alleged that Ansari's remarks suggested that the Congress wanted students to confront security personnel.

He said students did not want violence and questioned the minister's references to Bangladesh and Nepal, alleging that political upheaval in those countries had resulted in violence and instability.

JD(U) MLA Vinay Chaudhary said Opposition leaders had the opportunity to raise their concerns in Parliament but were not allowing the House to function smoothly.

“Everything is marked in a democracy. If the Prime Minister does not listen to you there, then you can raise your voice. Indian citizens give a due reply in the elections. They show in the elections whom they support and whom they don't,” he said.

The controversy followed Ansari's remarks during an interaction in Delhi, in which he claimed that 40 lakh young people were ready to take to the streets and were waiting for a signal from Rahul Gandhi. He said the Congress leader had so far held them back.

Ansari had also alleged that farmers, workers, the middle class, Dalits, tribals and Muslims were facing difficulties under the BJP-led government and warned that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not take note of the situation, the country could witness developments worse than those in Bangladesh and Nepal.

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