R Ashoka. (Inset: Congress leaders D K Shivakumar, Rahul Gandhi, and Siddaramaiah).
Credit: DH, PTI Photos
Bengaluru: BJP leader R Ashoka on Thursday termed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's protest meeting against alleged 'votes theft' in Bengaluru next week, as a "pre-scripted diversion", timed to deflect the grand old party's imminent and looming defeat in upcoming Bihar polls.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, who recently claimed that Congress has figured out the modus operandi of the "votes theft" by studying a parliamentary constituency in Karnataka, is scheduled to participate in a protest meeting here on August 5.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress President on July 30, said the venue for the protest and nature of the event -- whether rally or protest or march -- will be decided after a meeting on Thursday, citing "technical issues" and court directives for holding such events in the city.
Ashoka, in a post on 'X', said, "What Rahul Gandhi calls a protest is, in reality, a pre-scripted diversion, timed to deflect from Congress's imminent and looming Bihar defeat. If there was genuine evidence of malpractice in Karnataka, why stay silent for over a year?"
"After 3 Lok Sabha losses and countless defeats in state polls, this drama won't revive Congress, or relaunch Rahul Gandhi for the nth time," the Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly said.
Amid the raging row over the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, Gandhi on July 23 had alleged that elections are being "stolen" in India and claimed that his party has figured out the modus operandi of the "votes theft" by studying a Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka.
Criticising the Congress government in Karnataka for approving a Bill that reduces buffer zones around lakes in the state, Ashoka questioned, "Will Rahul Gandhi protest against this blatant land theft too? Or is "vote theft" the only drama worth his time?"
Alleging that the Congress government is handing over Bengaluru's lakes to the land mafia, shrinking buffer zones, risking floods, destroying the city's future, he asked, "Will Rahul Gandhi rescue lakes, or just his own relevance?"
The state cabinet had recently approved the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which seeks to amend the buffer zones of lakes to allow construction, commercial, recreational and industrial activities.