Rahul Gandhi In Lok Sabha Attacks Modi Govt, Accuses 'Institutional Capture' Of ED, CBI, ECI

The Parliament Winter Session saw fierce clashes over election reforms and national symbols, as the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha debated the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, the role of the Election Commission, and the legacy of 'Vande Mataram’, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Opposition leaders traded sharp charges.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi used the Lok Sabha debate on electoral reforms to attack the Election Commission, alleging collusion with those in power and claiming the SIR exercise was being misused to shape outcomes. Kiren Rijiju interrupted the speech, saying the LoP had not made a single concrete remark on electoral reforms.

Vande Mataram debate and election reforms dominate Lok Sabha clashes

Rahul Gandhi framed elections and the vote as the thread binding India together. Gandhi said, "Have you ever wondered why Mahatma Gandhi laid such emphasis on Khadi? Why was it that he framed the entire Indian freedom struggle around the concept of khadi, and why is it that he only wore Khadi? Because Khadi is not just a cloth. Khadi is the expression of the people of India; it is the imagination, it is the sentiment, it is the productive force of the people of India... Whichever state you go to, you will find different fabrics. Himachali cap, Assamese Gomcha, Banarsi Saree, Kanchipuram Saree, Naga jacket. And you will find that all these fabrics represent the people."

Extending the analogy, Rahul Gandhi said these fabrics contain countless threads, none superior to another, and that their strength comes from unity, not separation. He added that the nation is a similar fabric of 1.4 billion people held together by the vote, without which institutions like Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and Panchayats would not exist.

Vande Mataram debate and election reforms spark Congress–BJP exchanges

The controversy around SIR had already been building for weeks. Rahul Gandhi had earlier alleged that "SIR is a calculated ploy - where citizens are being harassed, and the deaths of BLOs from unnecessary pressure are dismissed as 'collateral damage'. This is not a failure, it's a conspiracy - a sacrifice of democracy to protect those in power."

Gandhi also claimed, "Under the guise of SIR, chaos has been unleashed across the country - the result? In three weeks, 16 BLOs have lost their lives… The intent is clear - the right voters get exhausted and give up, and vote theft continues unabated." Other Opposition leaders in both Houses repeated concerns over pressure on Booth Level Officers.

Vande Mataram debate and election reforms linked to SIR row

In Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav focused on the human cost of SIR in Uttar Pradesh. Yadav said that 10 BLOs had died in the state during the ongoing SIR process and demanded Rs 1 crore compensation for each bereaved family, along with one government job per household.

Congress MP Manish Tewari used the electoral reforms discussion to question the Election Commission’s powers and selection process. Tewari said it was "unfortunate that many members here are having to raise questions on the neutrality of the Election Commission of India," and argued that the EC had no legal right to conduct SIR in its current form.

Vande Mataram debate and election reforms centre on EC and vote chori

Manish Tewari also pressed for changes in the law on appointing Election Commission members. Referring to discussions in the Constituent Assembly, he read from Shibban Lal Saxena’s 1949 remarks about staggered elections across states and the Centre. He proposed adding the Lok Sabha LoP and the Chief Justice of India to the EC selection committee.

BJP MP Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal countered the Opposition’s allegations of "vote chori" by pointing to internal Congress history. Jaiswal said, "If the Congress wants to understand 'vote chori', it needs to know that the first time 'vote chori' happened in 1947 when the entire Congress Working Committee stood with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, but Jawaharlal Nehru was made the prime minister. There is no bigger example of vote chori."

Vande Mataram debate and election reforms fuel Nehru–Gandhi flashpoint

Outside electoral reforms, legacy politics surfaced strongly during the 150th anniversary discussions on Vande Mataram. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh attacked PM Modi on X, calling the Prime Minister the "master of distortion", while recalling Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s alliance with A.K. Fazlul Haq and L.K. Advani’s 2005 praise for Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi.

Ramesh’s remarks followed Modi’s criticism of Jawaharlal Nehru and Rahul Gandhi for allegedly disrespecting Vande Mataram and "surrendering before the Muslim League". The Lok Sabha debate had already seen heated slogans, with NDA MPs chanting "Bihar ki jeet hamari hai, ab Bengal ki baari hai" as Modi entered, linking the discussion with upcoming West Bengal elections.

Vande Mataram debate and election reforms intensify in Rajya Sabha

In Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah mounted a detailed defence of the special Vande Mataram discussion. Shah said some Opposition MPs wrongly tied the timing to the West Bengal polls and argued that critics "need to reconsider their understanding" of the song’s place in national life and history beyond Bengal.

Shah called Vande Mataram "an immortal creation that awakens devotion and duty toward Mother India" and stressed that Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s composition had inspired freedom fighters worldwide. Shah said, "On the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, to hold a discussion that honours the spirit of Vande Mataram, celebrates its glory, and ensures that it remains eternal, is truly significant."

Vande Mataram debate and election reforms draw sharp historical claims

The Home Minister also addressed questions raised earlier in Lok Sabha about the need for such a debate now. Shah said, "Some members raised questions in the Lok Sabha on the need for these discussions on Vande Mataram. The need for discussion on Vande Mataram, the need for dedication towards Vande Mataram, was important back then; it is needed now, and it will always be significant for a bright future which we have envisioned for 2047..."

Shah continued, "Some think these discussions are being held because of the upcoming elections in Bengal. They want to demean the glorification of our national song by relating these discussions to the Bengal elections. It is true that the composer of Vande Mataram, Bankim Babu, was from Bengal, the Anand Matth had its origin in Bengal, but Vande Mataram was not limited to Bengal or the country... When a soldier at the border of the country, or a policeman guarding the country from inside, sacrifices his life for the country, Vande Mataram is the only slogan he raises."

Vande Mataram debate and election reforms trigger Nehru-era dispute

Amit Shah accused Congress governments of failing to properly honour the national song. He said, "When Vande Mataram completed 50 years, the country was not yet independent. When its golden jubilee arrived, Jawaharlal Nehru split it into two parts. When it turned 100 years old, there was no glorification because those who spoke Vande Mataram were imprisoned by Indira ji during the Emergency."

Shah argued that restricting the song to two stanzas marked the start of appeasement politics and alleged that some INDIA bloc leaders had historically refused to sing it, even walking out of Lok Sabha. He highlighted the BJP’s push to revive regular singing of Vande Mataram in Parliament, saying it should now serve as a slogan for India’s development.

Vande Mataram debate and election reforms answered by Kharge, Dimple Yadav

Congress president and Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP of twisting history and targeting Nehru. Participating in the Vande Mataram debate, Kharge said, "Your (BJP) history is that you were always against the freedom struggle and patriotic songs. When Mahatma Gandhi started the non-cooperation movement in 1921, lakhs of freedom fighters from the Congress went to jail chanting 'Vande Mataram'. What were you doing? You were working for the Britishers."

Kharge noted that Congress leaders, including the Congress Working Committee, made Vande Mataram a mass slogan. Responding to attacks on Nehru, he recalled that the CWC resolution limiting the song to two stanzas included Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Maulana Azad, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Patel and others, asking, "...Was Nehru ji alone in the Congress Working Committee? You are insulting all the other big leaders who took a collective decision. Why does the PM and the HM target Nehruji?..."

Vande Mataram debate and election reforms alongside governance concerns

Outside the House, SP MP Dimple Yadav warned against using Vande Mataram to polarise people. Yadav said the government should address unemployment, a weakening rupee and rising monopolies instead. She reminded that the Constituent Assembly had adopted the song as an inclusive symbol and insisted it must not become a tool for division.

Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had told Lok Sabha that "grave injustice" had been done to Vande Mataram by giving it a communal colour. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, however, said, "There are two reasons for the debate… Elections are approaching in Bengal," and argued that the government wanted to distract from public distress and unresolved economic problems.

Vande Mataram debate and election reforms amid NDA 'Reform Express’ push

As ideological clashes played out inside Parliament, the NDA Parliamentary Party met at the GMC Balayogi Auditorium. According to sources, PM Modi said the country was now in a full-fledged "Reform Express" phase, with citizen-centric reforms meant to ease daily life, not only boost revenue or economic indicators.

Sources said Modi asked MPs to share real issues from their constituencies so that reforms reached every household. Modi reportedly spoke against lengthy forms and repeated paperwork, recalling the move to self-certification, which has run for ten years without major misuse. Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business remained top priorities, according to the briefings.

Vande Mataram debate and election reforms parallel aviation and security updates

The IndiGo flight disruptions also reached Lok Sabha. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said, "No airline, however large, will be permitted to cause such hardship to passengers through planning failures, non-compliance..." He added that operations were stabilising, other airlines were functioning normally, and the DGCA had issued show-cause notices to IndiGo leadership.

Naidu told MPs that refunds, baggage tracing and support were being closely monitored and promised strict action after the enforcement investigation. He said, "Operations are stabilising fast, safety remains fully in force, IndiGo is being held accountable, passengers' convenience and dignity are being protected, and long-term measures are underway to take India's aviation sector more passenger-centric..."

Vande Mataram debate and election reforms frame wider Winter Session agenda

On internal security, Union MoS for Home Nityanand Rai informed Lok Sabha that since 2019, 29 Naxal leaders had been neutralised, 1,106 Left Wing Extremism cadres killed, 7,311 arrested and 5,571 had surrendered. BJP MP Anurag Thakur said reforms had been central to the government, citing changes to old colonial laws and support for SIR in Bihar.

Throughout the day, Opposition parties, led by Congress and allies, continued pressing for deeper scrutiny of SIR and alleged voter deletions, while the ruling NDA framed its stance around institutional independence, national symbols like Vande Mataram, and a broader reform agenda stretching to 2047, leaving Parliament sharply divided as the Winter Session progressed.