'Anger due to repeated failure': 272 ex-judges, bureaucrats blast Rahul Gandhi, back EC
The signatories said the Congress leader has been making “unsubstantiated accusations” instead of offering “genuine policy alternatives.”
- Nov 19, 2025,
- Updated Nov 19, 2025 7:07 PM IST
More than 272 prominent citizens, including former judges, diplomats, senior bureaucrats and retired armed forces officers, have signed an open letter accusing Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of repeatedly targeting constitutional institutions without offering evidence for his claims, ANI reported.
The signatories said the Congress leader has been making “unsubstantiated accusations” instead of offering “genuine policy alternatives.” They noted that earlier, similar allegations had been directed at the armed forces and the judiciary, and said the Election Commission of India has now become the latest institution to face what they describe as “systematic and conspiratorial attacks on its integrity and reputation.”
The letter flagged Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks alleging vote manipulation. It said, “The Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha, has repeatedly attacked the Election Commission, declaring that he has open and shut proof that the Election Commission is involved in vote theft and claimed that he has 100 per cent proof. Using unbelievably uncouth rhetoric, that what he has found is an atom bomb and when it explodes, the EC would have no place to hide.”
Despite these claims, the signatories said he has not filed any formal complaint or sworn affidavit, which they argue allows him to avoid accountability for making allegations and “threatening public servants in performance of their duty.”
They also criticised what they describe as selective outrage by certain political groups, NGOs and commentators. According to the letter, these groups frame electoral setbacks as an “institutional crisis” but remain silent when results favour them. The signatories said this reflects a growing anger driven by “repeated electoral failure… without a concrete plan to reconnect with the people.”
Calling on citizens to support the Election Commission, the signatories said, “Now is the time for civil society and the citizens of India to stand firmly with the Election Commission, not out of flattery, but out of conviction. The society should demand that political actors stop undermining this vital institution with baseless allegations and theatrical denunciations. Instead, they should offer the public serious policy alternatives, meaningful reform ideas, and a national vision rooted in reality.”
The letter also urged the poll body to maintain transparency, publish complete data, defend itself legally when necessary and reject “politics dressed up as victimhood.”
Reaffirming trust in India’s institutions, the signatories wrote, “Civil society reaffirms its unshakeable faith in the Indian Armed Force, the Indian Judiciary and Executive, and specifically the Election Commission, in its integrity, and in its role as guardian of democracy. India’s institutions must not be reduced to political punching bags.”
The letter carries signatures from several well-known figures, including former Jammu and Kashmir DGP S.P. Vaid, former diplomat Anil Trigunayat, retired justice S.N. Dhingra, former Supreme Court judge Adarsh Kumar Goel, former RAW chief Sanjeev Tripathi, former NIA director Yogesh Chander Modi, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Deepak Singhal and many other retired civil and military officers.
More than 272 prominent citizens, including former judges, diplomats, senior bureaucrats and retired armed forces officers, have signed an open letter accusing Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of repeatedly targeting constitutional institutions without offering evidence for his claims, ANI reported.
The signatories said the Congress leader has been making “unsubstantiated accusations” instead of offering “genuine policy alternatives.” They noted that earlier, similar allegations had been directed at the armed forces and the judiciary, and said the Election Commission of India has now become the latest institution to face what they describe as “systematic and conspiratorial attacks on its integrity and reputation.”
The letter flagged Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks alleging vote manipulation. It said, “The Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha, has repeatedly attacked the Election Commission, declaring that he has open and shut proof that the Election Commission is involved in vote theft and claimed that he has 100 per cent proof. Using unbelievably uncouth rhetoric, that what he has found is an atom bomb and when it explodes, the EC would have no place to hide.”
Despite these claims, the signatories said he has not filed any formal complaint or sworn affidavit, which they argue allows him to avoid accountability for making allegations and “threatening public servants in performance of their duty.”
They also criticised what they describe as selective outrage by certain political groups, NGOs and commentators. According to the letter, these groups frame electoral setbacks as an “institutional crisis” but remain silent when results favour them. The signatories said this reflects a growing anger driven by “repeated electoral failure… without a concrete plan to reconnect with the people.”
Calling on citizens to support the Election Commission, the signatories said, “Now is the time for civil society and the citizens of India to stand firmly with the Election Commission, not out of flattery, but out of conviction. The society should demand that political actors stop undermining this vital institution with baseless allegations and theatrical denunciations. Instead, they should offer the public serious policy alternatives, meaningful reform ideas, and a national vision rooted in reality.”
The letter also urged the poll body to maintain transparency, publish complete data, defend itself legally when necessary and reject “politics dressed up as victimhood.”
Reaffirming trust in India’s institutions, the signatories wrote, “Civil society reaffirms its unshakeable faith in the Indian Armed Force, the Indian Judiciary and Executive, and specifically the Election Commission, in its integrity, and in its role as guardian of democracy. India’s institutions must not be reduced to political punching bags.”
The letter carries signatures from several well-known figures, including former Jammu and Kashmir DGP S.P. Vaid, former diplomat Anil Trigunayat, retired justice S.N. Dhingra, former Supreme Court judge Adarsh Kumar Goel, former RAW chief Sanjeev Tripathi, former NIA director Yogesh Chander Modi, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Deepak Singhal and many other retired civil and military officers.