Student activist Neha Bora’s remarks crediting Bangladesh’s 2024 Gen-Z uprising with “showing us the way” have drawn a sharp attack from the BJP, with lawyer Prashant Bhushan’s subsequent call for “regime change” intensifying the political row.
In a video message on Wednesday (October 14), Bora extended a “red salute” to protesters in Bangladesh, drawing parallels between the movement that led to the ouster of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and youth-led protests in India against SIR and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“We present you with our red salute. And we know that the Gen-Z movement that we are seeing everywhere in this country first started in Bangladesh. And congratulations to you for showing us the way, for showing us and extending solidarity to the young people of this country,” she said.
“We know that the movement that began in Bangladesh was for democratic and voter rights. Today the movement that the young people are participating in and leading is also a movement for democratic and voting rights,” she said.
The BJP stepped up its attack on Thursday after Bhushan openly backed a change of government at a joint press conference attended by Bora and Cockroach Janta Party leader Abhijeet Dipke.
“There will definitely be a regime change. We all want a regime change. Is there anything wrong with that?” Bhushan said.
The BJP has sought to link the remarks by Bora, who has emerged as a prominent student face during the recent protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and Bhushan to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said the statements reflected Rahul Gandhi’s thinking and accused the Opposition leader of threatening Indian democracy.
“This is an open admission of regime change. Rahul Gandhi and co. are a threat to Indian democracy!” Bhandari said in a post on X, sharing clips of Bora’s and Bhushan’s remarks.
At a press conference, Bhandari alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s objective was not political resistance but an attempt to undermine democratic institutions under the guise of anarchy.
Referring to Bangladesh, he claimed that groups and mobs had attempted to dismantle the system to bring about regime change.
“Rahul Gandhi has made Neha Bora his poster girl, which means her views align with Rahul Gandhi’s thoughts,” Bhandari said.
These remarks come amid protests by CJP and opposition parties against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
(With inputs from ANI)