By yojna gusai
Copyright deccanchronicle
New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday accused Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of undermining constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission (EC), and claimed his repeated allegations reflect a lack of faith in democracy. The ruling party alleged that Gandhi was trying to create chaos in India similar to the unrest seen in Nepal and Bangladesh. It charged that while Gandhi claims to speak for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), his opposition to the EC’s review of electoral rolls is actually aimed at protecting illegal voters.Former Union minister Anurag Thakur, attacking the Congress leader, said Gandhi’s “infiltrators-first politics” was his only agenda. He asked why Gandhi was avoiding filing an affidavit, as asked by the EC, or moving court if he had proof. His remarks came in response to Gandhi’s press conference earlier in the day.With the EC acknowledging “certain unsuccessful attempts” to delete electors in Aland in 2023, Thakur said the poll authority itself filed an FIR and shared mobile and IP details with the CID of Congress-ruled Karnataka. He alleged the state police had failed to act effectively in the probe.Thakur said Gandhi’s reluctance to move court stemmed from fear of another setback, recalling how he had to “eat humble pie” in cases like the Rafale deal after courts dismissed his allegations of corruption.Mocking Gandhi for comparing his claims to an “atom bomb” and promising a “hydrogen bomb,” Thakur said the Congress leader was indulging in “drama and hit-and-run politics” without facts. “If his arguments had substance, why will he not go to court? He and the Congress have no faith in democracy or constitutional institutions,” he remarked.Defending the EC, Thakur cited past associations of chief election commissioners (CECs) with the Congress, such as M.S. Gill, who became a Union minister, and T.N. Seshan, who contested Lok Sabha polls on a Congress ticket. He also recalled how the UPA government appointed Navin Chawla as CEC in 2009 despite objections from outgoing CEC N. Gopalaswami, who accused him of leaking classified information.“It is the Congress which misused the EC. Now, when it functions impartially, Rahul Gandhi is trying to weaken democracy and mislead people. He wants to create the kind of situation we have seen in Bangladesh and Nepal,” Thakur said.Responding to Gandhi’s claim that he was stepping in because institutions were failing to protect democracy, Thakur quipped that the Congress leader had “dropped a hydrogen bomb on himself” and questioned whether he was working to destroy democracy.He added that Gandhi has repeatedly questioned election results by attacking EVMs or targeting the EC out of frustration with Congress’s successive defeats under his leadership. “For him, the politics of allegations has become an ornament,” Thakur said.Citing Aland, where the Congress candidate won, Thakur asked whether Gandhi would call that result a case of “vote chori.” He also pointed to the Karnataka High Court’s recent decision to set aside the election of Congress MLA K.Y. Nanjegowda from Malur and order a recount of votes polled in the 2023 Assembly elections.
