'Venomous rhetoric': 272 eminent citizens pen letter against Rahul Gandhi; accuse Congress of making unsubstantiated claims

NEW DELHI: A group of 272 eminent citizens, including 16 judges, 123 retired bureaucrats, 14 former ambassadors and 133 retired armed forces officers, issued an open letter accusing leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi and the Congress of trying to erode public faith in the Election Commission and other constitutional institutions. The letter, titled "Assault on National Constitutional Authorities," alleged that opposition leaders were attempting to manufacture a sense of institutional breakdown through what it described as “venomous rhetoric” and “provocative but unsubstantiated accusations.” The letter said: “We, the senior citizens of civil society, express our grave concern that India’s democracy is under assault, not by force, but by a rising tide of venomous rhetoric directe