Lapses in electoral system during Nehru's era too: Ex-PM Deve Gowda slams Congress over 'vote chori' charges

New Delhi: Slamming the Congress for attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi through its "Vote Chori" campaign, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on Monday said that lapses in the electoral system had occurred even when Jawaharlal Nehru was Prime Minister.

"Why am I saying this? Because during the Nehru period also, there were certain lapses in the electoral system," said Deve Gowda, who served as Prime Minister from June 1, 1996, to April 21, 1997.

The JD (S) leader also cited a letter written by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru regarding the inclusion of 18,000 votes (voters) in Kerala.

Participating in a discussion on election reforms in the Rajya Sabha, he criticised the Opposition for mocking the Prime Minister on streets and public platforms.

The Opposition parties would "suffer" if they continued to raise allegations of "vote chori" and create suspicion in the minds of voters by blaming the Narendra Modi-led government, he said.

The country has faith in Narendra Modi, and even in the next Lok Sabha polls, Modi will return to power with a thumping majority, Gowda said.

"By using the words 'vote chori', you are going to suffer in the coming days. You are not going to win the battle," Deve Gowda said, addressing Opposition members.

The former Prime Minister said that in his over seven decades of public life, he had never raised issues of vote theft despite facing defeats in elections.

He pointed out that the Congress party had faced defeat in the recent Bihar elections despite raising concerns about mistakes in the electoral rolls.

"What happened after that, even after so much review (of the voters' list)? Think for yourself! You got (only) six MLAs," the senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader said.

Deve Gowda questioned why the Opposition wanted to level allegations against Modi over the voters' list issue.

"The Election Commission is there. The Supreme Court is there. The Election Commission has given directions to all state units to rectify these things," he said.