Anurag Thakur tears into Rahul Gandhi over ‘vote theft’ claims, demands evidence

New Delhi, October 12 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP Anurag Thakur on Monday launched a blistering attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of making baseless allegations of vote theft and attempting to undermine constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission of India and the judiciary, without presenting any supporting evidence.Addressing a press conference at the BJP Central Office here, Thakur challenged Rahul Gandhi to substantiate his allegations by identifying whose votes were deleted, who was prevented from exercising their franchise and which electoral rules or laws were allegedly violated. He said that while the protest is a democratic right, making allegations against a constitutional authority without evidence was unacceptable.Thakur said that even after losing 99 elections, Rahul Gandhi continued to blame institutions, including the Election Commission, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the Chief Election Commissioner, instead of accepting the people's mandate. He accused the Congress leader of accepting democracy when electoral results favoured him but alleging vote theft whenever his party faced defeat.“Rahul Gandhi has a barrage of allegations, but when it comes to evidence, there is complete silence,” the BJP MP said, adding that the country wanted facts and evidence rather than political rhetoric.Referring to Rahul Gandhi's meeting with President Droupadi Murmu, Thakur said he was asked to provide evidence in support of his complaints but failed to offer convincing answers. He also referred to the Supreme Court's observations, saying the judiciary had made it clear that political disputes could not be turned into a battleground through public protests.Thakur further slammed Rahul Gandhi for expressing an intention to meet the Chief Justice while the matter was sub judice. He alleged that the Congress was attempting to put pressure on the judiciary by threatening street protests if its demands were not accepted. He said anyone dissatisfied with an institutional decision was free to approach the appropriate legal forum by following due procedure.Invoking the Emergency, Thakur accused the Congress of hypocrisy over its claims of defending the Constitution. He recalled the suspension of democratic rights, imprisonment of more than 1.5 lakh people, press restrictions and forced sterilisation during the Emergency, alleging that the same party which had crushed constitutional freedoms was now projecting itself as their protector.He also questioned the Congress's record in earlier elections, referring to the 1989 electoral contest between Rajiv Gandhi and Rajmohan Gandhi, and challenged Rahul Gandhi to explain allegations of polling booth capture during that period.Thakur alleged that Congress wanted to restore the ballot paper system because of its historical association with electoral manipulation. He said Rahul Gandhi had promised to present evidence of alleged electoral irregularities in November but had yet to substantiate his claims.Calling upon the Congress leader to identify specific instances of voter disenfranchisement and support his allegations with comprehensive data, Thakur said the Opposition also had a responsibility to ensure democratic accountability.He maintained that people had the right to protest, but there was no licence to discredit the public mandate through unsubstantiated accusations, adding that such conduct was unbecoming of the office of the Leader of the Opposition.