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Priyanka Chaturvedi rebukes Raut over Albania protests remark (Img: Dynamite News)
New Delhi: Sanjay Raut's suggestion that India should take a cue from the violent protests in Albania has drawn criticism from his own party colleague and former Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi. The protests in Albania have seen demonstrators target government institutions, including the Supreme Court.
Raut had claimed that protesters in the European country set the Supreme Court on fire over allegations that it was helping “corrupt prime ministers”. He also said the unrest offered a lesson for other countries, particularly India.
“The people of Albania have burned down the Supreme Court. The people were enraged because the Supreme Court was helping corrupt prime ministers. The protesting public has also attacked Parliament and government offices, as well as the ministers' homes,” Raut said in a post on X.
“All countries should learn a lesson from these events. Especially India,” he added.
अल्बानियात लोकांनी सर्वोच्च न्यायालय जाळून टाकले.
सर्वोच्च न्यायालय भ्रष्ट पंतप्रधानांना मदत करत असल्याने लोक भडकले होते. आंदोलक जनतेने संसद आणि सरकारी कार्यालयांवर,मंत्र्यांच्या घरांवर देखील हल्ले केले आहेत.
सर्व देशांनी या घटनांपासून धडा घेतला पाहिजे.
विशेषतः 🇮🇳 https://t.co/3JSMJCMjXA— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) October 19, 2026
Disagreeing with Raut, Chaturvedi said India should not look to other countries for lessons in political unrest. She warned that taking the law into one's own hands and disrupting democratic institutions was unacceptable.
“India does not need to learn from any other country. Albania is a small nation that endured years under a communist dictatorship; the idea that people should take the law into their own hands, disrupt order, and destabilise institutions, whether it be the Supreme Court or Parliament, is entirely unacceptable,” Chaturvedi said.
She also cautioned against drawing inspiration from protests in Bangladesh to pursue regime change, arguing that the movement had eventually been taken over by an Islamist group and that minorities, including Hindus, had faced attacks.
“Those who suggest that we should draw inspiration from the protests in Bangladesh to pursue a regime change: this is deeply regrettable, as those protests were not merely led by students; they were eventually co-opted by an Islamist movement, which led to attacks on minorities, including Hindu minorities. Such violent regime change has no place in any democracy, and we should not look to examples like Albania, Paris, or other such instances for guidance,” she added.
The BJP also criticised Raut over his remarks, accusing opposition leaders of promoting political instability by referring to unrest in other countries as a model for India.
In a video message, BJP spokesperson Sidharth Yadav said some opposition leaders had previously spoken about bringing “regime change” to India and cited Bangladesh as an example.
"The opposition leaders sometimes speak of bringing about a 'regime change' in India. At times, they suggest that Bangladesh has shown us the way."
"And now, Sanjay Raut's remark that India should learn from Albania, where the Supreme Court was set on fire amidst widespread anarchy on the streets," he said in a video message, adding, "The opposition leaders in India seek to push the nation's democracy toward anarchy; nothing could be more unfortunate than this."
Raut had shared a 13-second video clip on X on Monday, accompanied by a Marathi post referring to the alleged arson in Albania. He urged countries to learn from the events, singling out India by using the national flag emoji rather than naming it directly.
The political exchange comes amid widespread demonstrations in Albania, where protesters have demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The protests, led by students, have been fuelled by public anger over alleged corruption, unemployment and poor education standards. Demonstrators have targeted government buildings, with fires reported at several locations, including parts of the Supreme Court.
Police said 388 people had been charged with criminal offences linked to the protests. Several police officers and demonstrators have also been injured.
