India: Government Accuses Opposition of Seeking Puppet Government

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Thursday accused Congress of seeking to recreate a Bangladesh-like situation in India by installing a puppet government at the behest of their “foreign masters.” Speaking to reporters at the BJP's 'Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy' campaign, Rai alleged that Congress was trying to protect 13 crore fake voters by opposing the revisions of electoral rolls and spreading misconceptions about it. The Opposition, led by Congress, was spreading misconceptions about the electoral roll revision as it feared defeat in the coming elections, Rai alleged. About 13 crore names were removed from electoral rolls during the SIR, including 6.3 crore voters who had relocated, three crore who were absent, 2.8 crore deceased voters and one crore duplicate entries, the minister said. Rai alleged Congress and Rahul Gandhi are committing a sin by “supporting infiltrators”. “If an infiltrator’s name remains on the voter list, it snatches the rights of India’s youth, taking a share of their employment and India’s economy,” he added. He accused the Congress and its allies, the Samajwadi Party, Communists and Rashtriya Janata Dal, were resorting to "anarchy" in order to weaken democracy and defame the country on the pretext of opposing the SIR. He also accused the Opposition of repeatedly questioning India's military capabilities and the credibility of its democratic institutions, despite what he described as the country's growing global standing under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Taking a swipe at Congress, Rai said the party which imposed Emergency was now raising concerns about the democracy and Constitution. Citing Modi government’s record, Rai said that around 25 crore people were uplifted from poverty, crores of houses and toilets were built for poor, and free medical treatment was also being extended to them. (With inputs from PTI)