A group of 272 citizens- including former judges, retired civil servants and senior military veterans have strongly criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of venting “impotent rage born out of repeated electoral defeat” and attempting to undermine the credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
In a joint statement, the signatories said the Leader of the Opposition has repeatedly targeted the Commission with allegations of “vote theft,” using “unbelievably crude language” and even threatening to “hound” officials after their retirement. Despite these public accusations, they noted that Gandhi has not filed a formal complaint supported by the required affidavit, allowing him to avoid accountability for unverified claims and intimidation of public officials, PTI reported.
LIVE: #VoteChori Press Conference – The H Files https://t.co/IXFaH9fEfr
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 5, 2025
The statement signed by National Green Tribunal Chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel, former judges S N Dhingra, Hemant Gupta and Rajiv Lochan, former RAW chief Sanjeev Tripathi, former NIA director Y C Modi and others said Gandhi’s conduct reflects frustration rather than a constructive political approach.
The group also alleged that some senior Congress leaders, members of other political parties, left-leaning NGOs, ideologically driven academics and a few “attention seekers” have echoed Gandhi’s sharp attacks, going so far as to call the ECI the “B-team of the BJP” and criticise the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
However, the statement argues that such rhetoric “collapses under scrutiny,” pointing out that the ECI has publicly released its SIR methodology, allowed court-monitored verification, removed ineligible voters as required, and added eligible new voters to the rolls.
According to the signatories, the Opposition leader’s conduct appears to be an attempt to disguise political setbacks as an institutional crisis. They said that when leaders lose touch with ordinary citizens, they often resort to blaming institutions instead of introspecting and rebuilding trust.
“Theatrics replace analysis. Public spectacle takes the place of public service,” they remarked, citing Gandhi’s criticism of the armed forces, the judiciary and parliamentary institutions.
The group called on political leaders to respect electoral outcomes and uphold constitutional processes. They reaffirmed their faith in the Indian Armed Forces, the judiciary, the executive and particularly the Election Commission as essential guardians of India’s democracy.
