Police detained protesters during the protest demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, near Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on October 3, 2026. Photo: Praveen KhannaThe phrase of the moment is ‘regime change’.A political slugfest has erupted after lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan told reporters Thursday that ‘regime’ change’ is the idea driving protests by the Cockroach Janta Party, the All India Students Association, and the Congress-led INDIA bloc.The CJP-AISA-INDIA protest – backed by tens of thousands of Indians and fuelled by the Express’ investigation into discord in the Election Commission, over the SIR process – has demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign.And over the past weeks demands for Kumar to resign have grown to include Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At Thursday’s press conference Bhushan said: “Yes, we want regime change… what is wrong with this? I am saying that, yes. It is a battle for regime change.”“This is a fight for regime change; we will not accept a dictatorship…”The remarks touched a nerve, particularly since it came immediately after AISA chief Neha Bora – at the same press conference – compared these protests to the violent Gen Z-driven agitation in Bangladesh in June-August 2024. Those protests led to the then-ruling Awami League being deposed and then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina forced to flee.And the BJP, which already claims a conspiracy behind the protests – including claims it is being ‘funded by foreign powers trying to destabilise the country, has hit back.Story continues below this ad‘Game over, bro’: BJP’s responseOn X party chief Nitin Nabin said: “The use of terms like ‘regime change’ has exposed the true agenda of the opposition… This nefarious attempt to destabilise India in collusion with foreign powers is part of the agenda of ‘urban naxals’.“The opposition’s fight is not for electoral reforms, SIR, or the future of the country’s youth… but rather to spread anarchy in the country and seize power at any cost.”‘Regime Change’ जैसे शब्दों के प्रयोग से विपक्ष का असली एजेंडा देश के सामने स्पष्ट रूप से उजागर हो गया है। विदेशी ताकतों के साथ मिलकर भारत को अस्थिर करने का यह कुत्सित प्रयास ‘Urban Naxals’ के एजेंडे का ही हिस्सा है।विपक्ष की लड़ाई चुनाव सुधार, SIR या देश के युवाओं के भविष्य के लिए नहीं, बल्कि देश में Anarchy फैलाकर किसी भी कीमत पर सत्ता हासिल करने के लिए है।लोकतंत्र में सत्ता का मार्ग जनादेश से होकर गुजरता है, अराजकता से नहीं। भारत की राष्ट्रभक्त जनता और भारतीय जनता पार्टी देश की लोकतांत्रिक व्यवस्था को कमजोर करने के किसी भी प्रयास को कभी सफल नहीं होने देंगी।— Nitin Nabin (@NitinNabin) October 16, 2026Nabin’s counterattack echoed snapbacks by other senior BJP leaders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who accused Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of practicing the ‘politics of disruption’ in the name of protecting democracy.Singh said the opposition had to ‘respect the mandate’ from the 2024 Lok Sabha poll, in which the BJP was the single-largest party but didn’t have a majority.The BJP – which insiders who spoke to the Express say has been rattled by the protests – even reached into the enemy camp for a battle of the phrases. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Verma repurposed CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke’s popular ‘it’s done, bro’ quip.Story continues below this ad“Game over, bro. The agenda is exposed. It was never about protest. It was all about ‘regime change’. Their hunger for power is so insatiable that they are ready to stoop to any level, from using youth and farmers as pawns, to dividing society… to attacking the credibility of the country’s constitutional institutions,” she said on X.‘Regime change? Well, yes’Leaders of the Congress, and other critics of the BJP have pointed out that the opposition’s role is, in fact, to call for a ‘regime change’.Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera made that point – that any political opposition’s objective is to defeat the government and ‘change the regime’ by winning elections.Khera also called out the BJP’s “hypocrisy” in criticising the Congress for wanting ‘regime change’, pointing to the post-Emergency 1977 Lok Sabha election in which his party, then led by ex-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was defeated.Chandrashekar is a senior editor with over 17 years of experience in reporting, writing, editing, and curating digital news content. He has worked with leading media organisations, including NDTV and Hindustan Times, handling high-impact coverage across politics, international affairs, conflict, and public policy. Over the years, he has written and edited news reports, explainers, analyses, profiles and opinion pieces for diverse audiences, focusing on breaking news, political forces shaping India and the world, economic policy, and global security. He has also helped shape editorial guidelines and train junior writers and editors. His expertise includes headline writing, search and audience optimisation, content packaging, and developing editorial standards for fast-changing news environments. His approach to journalism is rooted in accuracy, context and the belief good analysis should help readers what happened and why it matters. ... Read More