A group of 272 eminent citizens, consisting of 16 judges, 123 retired bureaucrats, including 14 ambassadors, 133 retired armed forces officers, on Tuesday (November 18, 2025) issued an open letter accusing LoP Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party of attempting to tarnish public faith in the Election Commission and other constitutional bodies. In the letter, titled “Assault of National Constitutional Authorities,” the group expressed their ‘grave’ concern that “India’s democracy is under assault, not by force, but by a rising tide of venomous rhetoric directed toward its foundational institutions.
“Some political leaders, instead of offering genuine policy alternative, resort to provocative but unsubstantiated accusations in their theatrical political strategy. After their attempts to tarnish the Indian Armed Forces by questioning their valour and accomplishments, and the Judiciary by questioning its fairness, Parliament, and its constitutional functionaries, now it is the turn of Election Commission of India to face systematic and conspiratorial attacks on its integrity and reputation. 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,” the letter said.
‘B-Team Of BJP’: Ex Judges, Bureaucrats Slam Rahul Gandhi For Attacking EC
The signatories singled out Rahul Gandhi for alleging vote theft. Meanwhile, they pointed out that he issued threats that “whoever in the Elections Commission is involved in this exercise, right from top to bottom, he will not spare them.”
The letter also noted that similar accusations had been made by Congress leaders, allied NGOs and other opposition parties. These include claims that EC had acted like the “B-team of the BJP.” “Moreover, several senior figures of Congress and other political parties, leftist NGOs, ideologically opinionated scholars, and a few attention seekers in other walks of life, have joined in with similarly blistering rhetoric against SIR, even declaring that the Commission has descended into complete shamelessness by acting like the “B-team of the BJP,” the letter further mentioned.
Letter Mentions Congress Made Unsubstantiated Claims
It argued that such ‘fiery rhetoric’ collapsed under scrutiny, pointing to the Election Commission’s public release of its SIR methodology and verification done under court oversight. The group described called this pattern of behaviour “impotent rage” alleging that “When political leaders lose touch with the aspirations of ordinary citizens, they lash out at institutions instead of rebuilding their credibility.”
Remembering the legacy of former chief election commissioners TN Seshan and N Gopalaswami, the letter stated, “Today, thinking of ECI, the country also remembers the likes of TN Seshan and N Gopalaswami, whose unyielding leadership transformed the Election Commission into a formidable constitutional sentinel. They did not court popularity. They did not chase headlines. They enforced the rules fearlessly, impartially, relentlessly.”Calling for transparency, legal accountability and respectful political conduct, the letter concluded by saying, “We call upon the Election Commission to continue its path of transparency and rigour. Publish complete data, defend itself through legal channels when necessary, and reject politics dressed up as victimhood. We call upon political leaders to respect the constitutional process, to compete not through baseless accusation but through policy articulation, and to accept democratic verdicts with grace.”
272 eminent citizens, consisting of 16 Judges, 123 retired bureaucrats, including 14 Ambassadors, 133 retired armed forces officers, write an open letter condemning the LoP and the Congress Party’s attempts to tarnish constitutional bodies like the Election Commission of India.… pic.twitter.com/lcHnboFV57
— ANI (@ANI) November 19, 2025
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