Union Home minister Amit Shah on Friday challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to take their allegations of ‘vote chori’ to Parliament, asserting that the BJP was prepared to convene a special session to discuss the issue. However, Shah claimed that the Opposition leaders would avoid a parliamentary debate and instead choose street protests.
“I am ready to call a special session of Parliament to discuss vote chori (vote theft allegations). But Rahul baba will never agree. He will never discuss the issue in Parliament but will create a nuisance on the street,” Shah told BJP workers in Lucknow.
“I challenge Rahul (Gandhi) and Akhilesh (Yadav) to discuss every allegation inside Parliament. The allegations against the Election Commission are baseless. But they don’t want a discussion; they want drama on the streets,” he added.
Shah's remarks come amid escalating tensions between the ruling BJP and Opposition parties over allegations of irregularities in the electoral process. The INDIA bloc is preparing to hold a symbolic ‘public impeachment’ of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday, followed by a major protest at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday.
Opposition steps up attack on CEC
The Opposition had initially planned to hold the ‘public impeachment’ at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence on Friday. However, unseasonal rain forced the INDIA bloc to postpone the programme.
The Opposition has been targeting CEC Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. It has alleged that the exercise was being used as a strategic voter roll clean-up drive to benefit the BJP. The proposed protest at Ramlila Maidan is being held against what the Opposition describes as the ‘demolition of democracy’.
Shah takes dig at Rahul, Akhilesh over poll defeats
Addressing a daylong meeting of the BJP's state working committee in Lucknow, Shah also questioned the electoral track record of Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav.
He contrasted the BJP's electoral gains in states such as Odisha and West Bengal with the Congress and Samajwadi Party's inability to secure power under their current leadership.
Taking a swipe at the two leaders, Shah said the Samajwadi Party's last electoral victory in a state came when its founder, Mulayam Singh Yadav, was alive.
“You have not won a single election on your own. The same is true for Rahul baba,” Shah said.
He further accused the Opposition of blaming the Election Commission after losing elections instead of accepting the results.
“After losing the match, they are blaming the umpire and alleging vote theft,” he said.