India, Oct. 26 -- When confronted with protests over corruption, manipulation, and governance failures, dictatorial regimes often resort to allegations of foreign interference. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi repeatedly invoked the "foreign hand," primarily implying the American CIA, as a political mechanism to deflect mounting domestic criticism, suppress political dissent, and justify the imposition of the Internal Emergency in June 1975. Rattled by large-scale protests against the SIR process and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), the BJP government has begun alleging that the protesters are receiving foreign funding.

Nationwide demonstrations against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, sparked by allegat...