Speaking at a Friday event, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh directed his remarks at Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, along with the Congress party and its coalition partners. Singh asserted that demonstrations in the capital were intended to trigger a change of government along the lines of what occurred in Bangladesh, and that the involvement of young people was being steered toward what he described as anarchy.

At a press conference held in Lucknow, Singh contended that democratic freedoms carry limits where public order and constitutional institutions are at stake. He separately put forward the view that Congress and its allied parties — operating through their own channels as well as affiliated bodies — were channelling youth participation toward political friction rather than productive ends, with younger people, by his account, being drawn into what he described as a destabilising form of political engagement.

Singh contended that the Congress party and its partners are pursuing a change of government in India modelled on what took place in Bangladesh. He pointed to public statements at press conferences where some figures reportedly cited Bangladesh as a source of inspiration for toppling the current administration while others spoke openly about bringing it down.

He described the 2024 mass protests in Bangladesh — the movement that ultimately forced Sheikh Hasina from power — as evidence that those behind it sought to destabilise the country's governing institutions and fracture its political order.

Though Singh left the remarks unattributed to any specific person, observers broadly took them as pointing toward comments linked to AISA leader Neha Bora, who had reportedly drawn a parallel between the ongoing protests and the Gen Z-led demonstrations in Bangladesh that unseated Sheikh Hasina's administration in 2024. BJP leaders put out responses to Bora's comments, which had also included a condemnation of religious fundamentalism in Bangladesh within the same address. Hasina has been living outside her home country, with India serving as her place of refuge.

At a press conference, lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan put forward the position that the ongoing demonstrations amount to a push for a change in government, and posed a pointed question about whether the BJP had not itself organised similar demonstrations with comparable aims ahead of 2024.

Pointing to phrases like "regime change" in opposition messaging, Singh argued that the campaign had moved away from its stated focus on electoral reforms and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. Those remarks followed street demonstrations in the country's capital, where opposition parties and civil society organisations had gathered to call for Gyanesh Kumar's removal as Chief Election Commissioner, citing concerns about irregularities in the SIR process. Figures from opposition parties contended that the process lacked adequate openness and carried the risk of leaving qualified voters without access to participation.

Invoking the Supreme Court's observations from Thursday, Singh put forward the position that Gandhi and those around him should understand that democratic frameworks leave no room for attempts to stir unrest, undermine constitutional institutions, or obstruct national advancement, and that respect for the rule of law remains a foundation of civil order. He argued that the nation's governing structures ought not to be subordinated to the pursuit of partisan advantage.

He went on to argue that misinformation, hostility, efforts to undermine public institutions, and the pursuit of partisan advantage posed no real barrier to the country's progress. Urging Gandhi to reflect on his own political standing and honour the verdict delivered by voters, Singh also characterised Gandhi's approach as one that undermined rather than defended democratic values — a stance he labelled destructive — while adding that responsibility for the nation's path forward rests with all citizens. Singh called for prioritising conversation and national unity over adversarial approaches.