New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS): Congress leader Rashid Alvi on Sunday rejected Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni's remarks that former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was responsible for the party's poor performance in Haryana and instead blamed the Election Commission and the EVM for the loss.

The Congress leader remarked, "I don’t know who Gurnam Singh Charuni is. But such statements make no sense. Neither Congress nor Hooda lost in Haryana. Congress lost due to the Election Commission and EVM issues."

He further added that as long as EVMs are used, the BJP will keep winning, the same thing happened in Haryana.

Rashid Alvi reiterated Congress’ longstanding support for farmers, emphasising, "If anyone in this country has waived off farmers' loans amounting to Rs 70, 000 crore to Rs 72,000 crore, it is the Congress party. No other party has done this. Therefore, making such baseless statements is pointless."

BKU chief Charuni, who is also the founder of the Sanyukt Sangharsh Party, exclusively told IANS that the sole reason behind Congress' defeat in the state was former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Charuni also said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should be the chief of the Congress Party. "If the command of the party is in the hands of Priyanka Gandhi instead of Rahul, then the Congress party can be saved. Of course, Rahul Gandhi can keep working inside the party, but if the command is in the hands of Priyanka, then the party can be saved, otherwise, the BJP's rule will not go away from Haryana," Charuni remarked.

Rashid Alvi responded sharply to Charuni's comments, saying, "People from other organisations should look at their parties instead of advising Congress. What happens in Congress and who leads it is our internal matter. We do not interfere in who becomes the president or general secretary of farmer organisations. Making such statements from the outside has no meaning."