Not atom bomb but case of someone cutting branch he is sitting on: BJP on Rahul's poll 'rigging' charge

New Delhi: The BJP on Friday mocked Rahul Gandhi's disclosure to back his allegations of rigging in the Maharashtra Assembly polls as a case of someone cutting the branch he is sitting on, claiming the Congress and its allies won most seats where the number of voters had increased.

Union minister Bhupender Yadav accused Gandhi of using a threatening language unbecoming of the Leader of Opposition, noting that he warned officials of a constitutional body like the Election Commission (EC) of consequences for their alleged role in helping the ruling BJP.

Citing EC data, Yadav said the number of voters on the electoral rolls for the Maharashtra Assembly polls last November had increased by over 40 lakh compared to the Lok Sabha elections held earlier that year, and not by one crore as claimed by Gandhi.

Stating that the Congress leader inflated the figures by 60 lakh, Yadav claimed Gandhi prepared for a long time to make his case but the foundational logic of his allegation turned out to be "incorrect".

All his claims should be discounted by 60 per cent from now on, the BJP leader said.

Naming a number of Assembly constituencies such as Madha, Mohol, Nagpur West and Nagpur North where the Congress and its allies registered victory, Yadav said the number of voters went up in these seats.

Yadav told reporters, "Those who keep raising questions about Maharashtra are the very ones -- Congress and its allies -- who won most of the seats where voter numbers increased. This alone discredits Rahul Gandhi's theory." The Union minister also said Gandhi had been claiming that the proof he will present will be like an "atom bomb".

"It was like the case of someone cutting the branch he is sitting on," he said, accusing Gandhi of using arrogant and threatening language against the EC.

If the Congress leader has real objections to the polling process, he should file an affidavit on oath to the EC, Yadav added, in reference to Gandhi's presentation before the media on Thursday on what he described as "vote chori" in the Bengalore Central Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka during the 2024 general elections.

Yadav also accused the Congress leader of repeatedly trying to peddle lies to tarnish the poll body following his party's electoral losses.

Rahul Gandhi's modus operandi is to "lie and run away", Yadav said, claiming the Opposition's disruption of Parliament over the Special Intensive Review of electoral rolls in Bihar is aimed at running away from discussions.

"The Congress is systematically attempting to weaken constitutional institutions to serve the interests of a single family by building fake narratives. This false narrative has already been rejected by people thrice, and it will meet the same fate in the future as well," Yadav claimed.

He had to apologise to the Supreme Court for making wrong claims, the BJP leader noted in a reference to Gandhi's unconditional apology after he claimed that the apex court had agreed to his corruption allegation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Gandhi has demeaned the armed forces as well, Yadav said.

Institutions like the armed forces, Parliament or the Election Commission are autonomous and work independently, and anyone following the Constitution should not use threatening language against them, the BJP leader said.

Gandhi on Thursday cited an analysis of data from the Bengalore Central Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka during the 2024 elections to make explosive claims of "huge criminal fraud" in polls perpetrated by the BJP through the Election Commission, claiming that it was a "crime" against the Constitution.

He has also been alleging that the 2024 Maharashtra polls were rigged to ensure victory for the BJP-led alliance.