Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said Rahul Gandhi and the Congress should stop what he described as a “daily drama” of targeting the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Supreme Court and instead focus on serving people to win their mandate.
“This daily drama by the Congress party, Rahul Gandhi , and their associates—constantly attacking the Election Commission and the Supreme Court—needs to stop now. How long will this drama continue? In a democracy, if you serve the people, you get the public’s mandate. When you fail to win the mandate, you abuse the Election Commission. When the Supreme Court asks for an apology, you attack the Supreme Court and claim you have no faith in the judiciary.
This drama has been going on continuously since 2014. The remarks came after at least 300 lawmakers of the INDIA bloc marched from Parliament to the Election Commission of India, demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. “After our government came to power, when the ration cards were investigated, 5.8 crore (58 million) ration cards were found belonging to people who didn’t even exist. When the MNREGA cards were investigated after 2019, 4.45 crore (44.5 million) cards were found belonging to people who didn’t even exist, and they were receiving wages. The same people who consumed the ration worth 5.8 crore (58 million), who pocketed the MNREGA wages worth 4.45 crore (44.5 million), are now attempting to devour democracy through dead and duplicate voters,” Trivedi said. Earlier reporting noted: At least 300 lawmakers from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) marched from Parliament to the Election Commission of India (ECI), demanding Kumar’s resignation. When police stopped them outside Nirvachan Sadan, more than 250 Opposition members were detained. However, after a brief standoff, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra , along with 20 others, walked into the Akashvani Bhavan campus next door and continued their protest till about 8pm. Earlier reporting noted: They were packed into the vehicles, taken to Kingsway Camp, and subsequently released around 10.15pm.
You call the Election Commission corrupt and call the government corrupt,” Rijiju told reporters. A police aware who did not want to be named said that Congress workers reached the New Police Lines area and attempted to scale walls of the premises.
Earlier reporting noted: The Congress alleged that Gandhi, Venugopal and some others were manhandled and dragged into buses.
“Whenever they face a crushing defeat, Rahul Gandhi and the entire opposition starts singing the old tune of vote chori.
Slinging mud at constitutional institutions to hide their political failures and disconnect from the public has become the Congress’s old habit,” he said.
“Of the 13 crore (130 million) voters, 2.8 crore (28 million) are deceased, 6.3 crore (63 million) have relocated, 1 crore (10 million) duplicate named, and 3 crore (30 million) are absent. I want to ask Congress and Rahul Gandhi: when you refer to 13 crore (130 million) voters, how are you counting deceased and duplicate voters as eligible voters? “Have Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi become MPs through vote theft? …If we became MPs through vote theft, did they also become MPs through vote theft? Were the governments in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh formed through vote theft?… Even among these, if anyone has an Aadhaar card, they can come and produce the document.
BJP lawmaker and spokesperson Sambit Patra said, while addressing the media. Trivedi said.
