Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday accused the opposition of attempting to bring down the Narendra Modi-led Central government outside the democratic process, alleging that its opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was merely a pretext for seeking ‘regime change’. In a series of remarks on X, Fadnavis claimed that opposition leaders had little chance of coming to power through elections and were therefore attempting to create unrest to achieve their political objectives. “Since there is no remote possibility of them getting elected through the votes of eligible voters in a democratic manner, the ‘truth’ finally slipped out. Their plot to seize power by creating anarchy in the country has been exposed!” he said.
Fadnavis Questions Opposition To SIR
Questioning the opposition’s objections to the electoral roll revision exercise, the Chief Minister alleged that its campaign against SIR was driven by a desire to change the government rather than concerns about the electoral process. “Why do they oppose ‘SIR’? Because they want a ‘regime change’,” Fadnavis said, adding that the opposition was talking about changing the regime because it could not come to power through elections. “They want to topple the government, but not through democratic means! Opposition to ‘SIR’ is merely a pretext; the real opposition is directed at democracy itself,” he alleged.
Claims Over Voting Rights
Fadnavis further claimed that the opposition’s campaign was aimed at undermining the voting rights of eligible citizens. “The true opposition is against your vote and mine, the votes of eligible citizens,” he said. Appealing to people to consider the implications of the controversy, the Chief Minister framed the debate as a choice between democracy and attempts to bring about a change in government outside the electoral process. “Now, we must decide: do we want democracy, or do we want those who talk about a ‘regime change’? For the sake of democracy, there is no alternative to ‘SIR’!” he said. The remarks come amid a political controversy over the ongoing agitation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the opposition to SIR. The debate intensified after senior advocate Prashant Bhushan reportedly described the agitation as a ‘fight for regime change’, while All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora referred to the Gen Z movement in Bangladesh. The BJP has cited these remarks to allege that the campaign against the Chief Election Commissioner and SIR is part of an attempt to dislodge the Modi government outside the electoral process. The opposition has rejected the allegation, disputing the ruling party’s interpretation of the protests and its claims about their underlying objective.
