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NEW DELHI: A radical of 272 eminent citizens, comprising 16 judges, 123 retired bureaucrats including 14 erstwhile ambassadors, and 133 retired equipped forces officers issued an unfastened missive criticising the Lok Sabha person of absorption Rahul Gandhi and the Congress for what they picture arsenic attempts to undermine law institutions, peculiarly the Election Commission. The letter, titled "Assault connected National Constitutional Authorities" and dated 18 November 2025, accuses absorption leaders of levelling “venomous rhetoric” against cardinal institutions and utilizing “provocative but unsubstantiated accusations” to further governmental narratives. It states that aft attacking the equipped forces, the judiciary, Parliament and law authorities, the absorption has present targeted the EC with “systematic and conspiratorial attacks.
”The signatories said the person of absorption successful the Lok Sabha has repeatedly claimed to person “open and unopen proof” of ballot theft, alleging that the ECI is blameworthy of “treason.” The missive points retired that helium has threatened officials, saying helium volition “not spare them,” yet has not filed a ceremonial ailment oregon supported his allegations with a sworn affidavit.According to the letter, leaders from the Congress, different absorption parties, left-leaning NGOs and “ideologically opinionated scholars” person amplified akin charges, adjacent calling the Commission the “B-team of the BJP.”
The signatories reason that these claims illness upon scrutiny. They enactment that the EC has publically shared its methodology for the Statewide Intensive Revision, conducted court-sanctioned checks, removed ineligible names and added caller eligible voters.The missive calls this signifier of allegations “impotent rage,” suggesting it stems from “electoral nonaccomplishment and frustration” alternatively than evidence. It says absorption parties criticise the EC lone erstwhile results bash not favour them, calling this “selective outrage” and “opportunism.”The citizens invoke the bequest of erstwhile main predetermination commissioners TN Seshan and N. Gopalaswami, saying they upheld the Commission’s authorization with fearlessness and impartiality, and turned it into a “formidable law sentinel.”The missive urges civilian nine to basal with the EC “out of conviction, not flattery,” and asks governmental parties to halt undermining institutions with “baseless allegations and theatrical denunciations.”
It besides raises concerns astir ensuring the integrity of electoral rolls, informing that fake voters and non-citizens should person nary relation successful determining India’s government. The missive compares India’s attack to that of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Germany and France, arguing that beardown safeguards are indispensable to sphere antiauthoritarian stability.The signatories telephone connected the Election Commission to support transparency, people implicit information and support itself legally erstwhile required.
They besides impulse governmental leaders to vie done policy, not accusations, and to judge predetermination outcomes with maturity.The missive concludes by reaffirming religion successful the Indian equipped forces, judiciary, enforcement and the Election Commission. It says India’s antiauthoritarian institutions indispensable not go “political punching bags” and calls for enactment grounded successful “truth, ideas and service.”
