New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) The BJP and Janata Dal (United) on Friday criticised advocate Prashant Bhushan over his call for ‘regime change’, arguing that any change of government in India must take place through democratic means.

The reactions came after Bhushan declared at a press conference on Thursday evening, alongside AISA member Neha Bora and Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, that the country needed a change of regime.

“Yes, we want regime change,” Bhushan said, adding that expressing “disaffection” towards a government was not a crime in a democracy. He maintained that the ongoing struggle was now centred on bringing about a change in government.

“The government alleges that the Opposition wants regime change. We are currently fighting to ensure that elections are conducted properly. But if this kind of brutality continues, there will certainly be regime change. Yes, we all want regime change,” Bhushan said.

Reacting to the remarks, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal accused Bhushan of using language that he described as fascist and irresponsible.

“Prashant Bhushan is now using fascist language. India is a democracy, and whenever a regime changes, it happens through democratic means. This has been the case continuously from Independence until now,” Khandelwal told IANS.

He further alleged that Bhushan’s choice of words conveyed separatist undertones and said such remarks were unexpected from someone with his legal background.

BJP MP Rahul Sinha also criticised the statement, alleging that some groups were attempting to destabilise the country through protests with the support of foreign powers.

“These people do not want to improve the country; they want to disrupt it through protests, with the help of foreign powers. However, what happened in Bangladesh, Nepal or Sri Lanka cannot happen in India because India is a democracy and PM Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister,” Sinha said.

JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan said a change of government could not be achieved through protests and threats, asserting that political power was determined by the people’s mandate.

“Regime change cannot happen through movements and empty threats. The people’s mandate brings some to power and sends others out of power. To win the mandate, one must earn public trust, which no political party can achieve through anarchic methods. Who knows this better than Prashant Bhushan? He made similar claims while associated with the AAP, but he could not remain with the party either. The AAP has broken people’s trust in alternative politics through its actions in Delhi and across the country, and people have stopped placing their hopes in it. Meanwhile, substantial work has been done on the ground under PM Modi’s leadership,” he said.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) MP V. Sivadasan supported the demand for regime change, arguing that it was necessary for the country’s development.

“Everybody is repeatedly saying these things. Regime change is necessary for the nation’s development. Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah and their entire team are trying to loot the assets of society and the nation. So, regime change is necessary for the nation’s development,” Sivadasan said.

–IANS

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