Why is the word regime change trending in India?

For the last few days, one word has been heard more than any other in Indian politics - Regime Change. From Parliament to the streets, and from the RSS stage to Supreme Court lawyers, everyone is debating it. So why is this foreign word being discussed so much in India?

What Does Regime Change Mean?

In simple language, regime means the entire system of governance. It includes not just the Prime Minister or the government, but also the Election Commission, the courts, and the whole system. When this entire system itself changes, it is called regime change.

There are two ways this can happen. First, the democratic way in which people change the government through votes, as happened in India in 2014. Second, the undemocratic way in which the government is toppled by the army or a mass movement, as happened in Bangladesh and Nepal.

Big Reasons for the Current Discussion in India

SIR and Voter List Controversy

This discussion started from Delhi. The opposition alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list by the Election Commission. A protest was held at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. During this, lawyer Prashant Bhushan said that this fight is for regime change. That one statement added fuel to the fire.

Impact of Neighbouring Countries

The youth of India saw how Gen-Z in Nepal removed PM K.P. Sharma Oli in just 72 hours by running a movement on social media. In Bangladesh, students toppled Sheikh Hasina, who had been in power for 15 years. In Sri Lanka too, the public forced the President to flee. After these events, questions began to arise in India as well whether something like this could happen here too.

Mohan Bhagwat's Statement

On October 20th in Nagpur, in his Vijayadashami speech, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat said - "Changing the regime does not change the situation. See what happened in Bangladesh, Nepal, France and Albania. This is a storm spread by Western countries." After his statement, this word trended even more.

Claim of Foreign Conspiracy American channel Fox News claimed in a report that a network of 101 organizations from 9 countries wants to bring about regime change in India and France by organizing protests. After this report, the BJP accused the opposition of taking help from foreign forces.

Is Demanding Regime Change a Crime?

Absolutely not. Article 19 of the Constitution gives every Indian the right to peaceful protest against the government and Article 326 gives the right to change the government through voting. The Supreme Court has also said many times that demanding a change of government is not sedition, it is democracy.

As actor Prakash Raj said - We are not Nepal or Bangladesh. We have Ambedkar's Constitution. We will bring regime change through votes.

In India, regime change is possible in only one way - through your vote. So there is no need to be afraid, there is a need to understand.