BJP alleges Congress links to foreign groups behind anti-CEC protests

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday accused the Congress of orchestrating an anarchy and regime change plot in India, drawing parallels between recent domestic demonstrations and civil unrest in France. The allegations, based on a digital investigation by an international broadcaster, were levelled amid ongoing protests demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

The political row centres around demonstrations in India targeting CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia cited a Fox News Digital report titled Global Chaos Inc Grows to 101 Groups. The report allegedly identified a network of organisations coordinating and amplifying demonstrations globally. Bhatia claimed this network included the Progressive International and Indian Alliance Paris, alleging they were actively amplifying the Indian protests.

Bhatia referred to the alleged network as a red-green ecosystem, stating that red represents communist groups, while green represents Islamic groups. He claimed that the unrest in France, Albania, Spain, and India were linked to this transnational network, alleging a coordinated effort to challenge elected governments and constitutional institutions. Wherever there is an elected government, they want to overthrow it. They want to destroy constitutional institutions such as the Supreme Court and Parliament, Bhatia stated.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari echoed these claims on X, stating the investigation flagged how the Progressive International coordinated messaging across borders with the aim of acquiring organised power through new rebellion. Both leaders highlighted a meeting between Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and a Progressive International delegation at 10 Janpath. However, the exact date of this meeting varied across reports, with some citing April 10, 2025, and others mentioning April 28, 2025 [2, 3]. The Fox News report also referenced the Neville Roy Singham network and alleged that 28 communist and socialist youth organisations were mobilising students for coordinated strikes.

The BJP strategy appears to be an attempt to delegitimise the domestic electoral protests by framing them as part of a foreign-backed conspiracy. By invoking the imagery of the French riots and using terms like traitor, the ruling party is seeking to shift the narrative from the specific grievances regarding the CEC to broader questions of national security and the Opposition foreign engagements. The reliance on a foreign media report, rather than domestic official findings, underscores the political nature of the accusations, as the claims of coordinated efforts were not independently established by the material cited at the press conference.

The Congress has not yet issued a formal response to these specific allegations. As the political discourse intensifies, the focus remains on whether the Opposition will address the claims regarding their international engagements, or if the debate will remain centred on the original issues surrounding the Election Commission.