Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 18: Hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP and the Election Commission of orchestrating voter deletions in Karnataka’s Aland constituency during the 2023 Assembly elections, senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur launched a fierce rebuttal, dismissing the claims as “habitual, baseless allegations.”
Speaking at a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Thakur ridiculed Gandhi’s remarks, claiming they were driven by political frustration and a legacy of electoral failures. “Under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, Congress has lost nearly 90 elections. He’s turned wild allegations into a political crutch,” Thakur said.
He accused Gandhi of routinely making explosive claims without offering proof, citing previous controversies including Rafale, the “chowkidar chor hai” slogan, and the Pegasus spyware issue — all of which, Thakur said, ended in court defeats or retractions. “Whenever he’s asked to back up his statements with a written complaint or affidavit, he backs out,” Thakur said.
Referring to the fresh controversy over alleged voter list manipulation in Aland, Thakur cited the Election Commission’s clarification that no voter’s name can be removed without a due process, which includes giving the individual an opportunity to respond. He also pointed out that the Congress candidate had actually won the Aland seat by over 10,000 votes in the 2023 election. “If votes were deleted, how did Congress win? Or are they now claiming they stole the votes themselves?” he asked.
Thakur further highlighted the Karnataka High Court’s recent verdict setting aside Congress candidate K.Y. Nanje Gowda’s victory in Malur and ordering a recount. “Should we now say Congress did ‘vote chori’ in Malur too?” he said, adding that the party was resorting to desperate tactics to discredit democratic institutions.
He also took aim at what he described as Congress’s “dangerous politics” of appeasement, alleging that the party was trying to extend voting rights to illegal infiltrators at the cost of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBC communities. “Rahul Gandhi’s rhetoric makes it look like he is standing with infiltrators, not the people of India,” Thakur claimed.
Rejecting accusations of bias within the Election Commission, Thakur asserted that the institution was operating with “full integrity” and accused the Congress of having a history of manipulating the EC for political gain. “Today, it is the BJP that is committed to strengthening democracy and standing up against any attempt to empower infiltrators,” he declared.
The escalating war of words between the two national parties comes ahead of several key state elections, where electoral integrity and voter roll management are likely to become flashpoints.