Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi (L) and BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla.
Credit: AICC via PTI Photo, X/@ANI
New Delhi: Criticising Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for his remarks to a British daily about anomalies in the electoral system, the BJP said that Gandhi was “maligning” the democratic institutions of the country.
At a press conference in the party headquarters in Delhi, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused the Congress leader of undermining India’s constitutional bodies for political gain.
“Whenever Rahul Gandhi loses an election, he blames the Election Commission. When he loses in court, he blames the judiciary. This is nothing but an attempt to erode faith in institutions,” Poonawalla said.
He said that Gandhi’s stance was akin to the “authoritarian style” of the Emergency era. “Rahul Gandhi carries the same mindset as Indira Gandhi, which is an Emergency mindset. Just as Indira Gandhi once subverted democracy to protect her family’s rule, Rahul Gandhi today believes in dynastic entitlement over Constitutional democracy,” he charged.
Responding to Gandhi’s allegation of “vote theft” in Karnataka’s Aland constituency, Poonawalla said the claim was baseless. “Names cannot be deleted online as Rahul Gandhi is suggesting. The Election Commission has already clarified this. Yet he continues to spread misinformation to discredit a constitutional authority,” he said.
Poonawalla said the Congress has disqualified an elected leader themselves. “Instead of lecturing others about democracy, Rahul Gandhi should explain why his own party disqualified an MLA in Karnataka, or why senior leaders like Shashi Tharoor and Kirti Azad are publicly criticising him. This darbar-style leadership has left the Congress in perpetual crisis,” he remarked.
He further accused Gandhi of insulting the office of the Vice-President by dragging allegations of vote theft into that election. “Rahul Gandhi does not respect the mandate of the people, nor does he respect the dignity of high offices,” Poonawalla said.