Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Sep 18: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis launched a scathing attack on Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday, branding his mindset "anarchic" and accusing him of eroding public faith in constitutional institutions to cover up persistent electoral setbacks.
Interacting with media persons on the sidelines of an event in Mumbai, Fadnavis brushed off Gandhi's recent criticisms concerning the election symbols and names of regional outfits like the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Trinamool Congress (TMC).
"Rahul Gandhi refuses to accept that the people of India have rejected his leadership. His problem is simple: the injury is on his forehead, but he keeps tying the bandage on his knee. The day he realises what the citizens of India truly want and why they stand firmly behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his electoral losing streak might end," Fadnavis remarked.
The Chief Minister asserted that Gandhi is actively promoting a dangerous narrative designed to undermine foundational democratic structures. "He is attempting to defame the institutions created by the Indian Constitution so that people lose faith in them. Once public faith in these institutions breaks down, trust in democracy shatters, leading to a complete erosion of faith in the Constitution itself," he warned.
Fadnavis' sharp retort followed a post by Gandhi on X, wherein the Congress leader strongly criticized the Election Commission (EC) over an order freezing the Trinamool Congress name and symbol, accusing the poll body of assisting forces that overturn popular mandates.
Gandhi had posted: "First Shiv Sena, then NCP, and now Trinamool Congress. Every time, the same pattern: BJP and the Election Commission join forces to split a party. Then it snatches away its election symbol. When an entire party can be stolen, it’s hardly surprising that the votes of millions of Indians can be stolen too. Vote theft. Government theft. Now, party theft, these have become symbols of our democratic decline." He further added that the battle is not just Mamata Banerjee's, but that of every political party and voter seeking free and fair elections.