New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) The BJP on Friday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of politicising his meeting with President Droupadi Murmu and dragging the country’s highest constitutional office into a political narrative. The BJP challenged the Congress to substantiate its allegations of “vote chori” and electoral irregularities.
Addressing the media in New Delhi, BJP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said Rahul Gandhi’s remarks following the INDIA bloc delegation’s meeting with the President appeared to be driven more by political considerations than factual evidence.
Trivedi said the President had given time to Opposition leaders, who had been protesting against the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls for several days. He questioned Gandhi’s claim that the President had responded positively to the delegation’s allegations, maintaining that only those present at the meeting could know what had transpired.
Drawing a parallel with Gandhi’s earlier remarks concerning the Supreme Court, Trivedi said the Congress leader had tendered an unconditional apology over statements linking the court to the “Chowkidar Chor Hai” slogan during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He alleged that Gandhi was now making claims in the name of the President to advance his political agenda.
The BJP spokesperson also questioned the Congress over its allegations concerning electoral rolls, asking whether its Booth Level Agents (BLAs) had verified voter lists during the recent by-elections and filed objections wherever discrepancies were found.
He asked whether Congress polling agents were present at polling stations and counting centres, whether they had raised objections during the electoral process and whether the party intended to seek CCTV footage within the stipulated 45-day period.
Trivedi said the Congress should not later cite the expiry of the deadline as a reason for not obtaining the footage. He argued that if the party had evidence of irregularities, it should use the available procedures to substantiate its claims.
Questioning the Congress’s allegations against Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the SIR exercise, Trivedi said the party needed to explain how its two lines of criticism could be reconciled. He argued that allegations of EVM manipulation and irregularities in voter registration required separate explanations and accused the Congress of creating confusion around the electoral process.
Citing the Silchar Municipal Corporation elections in Assam, conducted using ballot papers, Trivedi said the BJP and its NDA allies had won 34 of the 42 seats. He invoked the result to question the Congress’s claims about electoral manipulation. These polls were conducted through ballot papers, he said. Does the Congress have anything to say now, he added.
The BJP spokesperson reiterated five questions for the Congress, covering verification of electoral rolls, objections during polling and counting, demands for CCTV footage within 45 days, evidence supporting Gandhi’s account of the presidential meeting and the party’s allegations concerning EVMs and SIR.
Trivedi accused the Congress of repeatedly targeting constitutional institutions after electoral defeats and said Gandhi should present evidence to support his allegations rather than use them for political mobilisation.
BJP’s five questions to Congress
Trivedi posed the following five questions to the Congress:
First Question: In the by-elections, did you verify the electoral rolls or not? Did you raise any objections or file any complaints regarding them?
Second Question: During both polling and vote counting, everything was being recorded through CCTV surveillance. Did you raise objections to any aspect of the process or not?
Third Question: Will you seek CCTV footage or any other relevant information within the stipulated 45-day period or not?
Fourth Question: What evidence do you have to support the statement you made in the name of the Hon’ble President? Using the office of the President for political purposes in this manner is highly condemnable.
Fifth Question: Was your allegation regarding EVMs correct, or is your allegation regarding the SIR process correct? Any person applying basic common sense can understand that both claims cannot simultaneously be true. Therefore, both allegations are false.
–IANS
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