Very clear EC is compromised: Rahul Gandhi in US; BJP calls him ‘traitor’

BOSTON/NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who is visiting the United States, on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India, calling it “compromised” and alleging that there is something “very wrong with the system”.

Addressing the Indian community in Boston, the Congress MP cited the example of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections to support his claims, asserting that the voter turnout figures were inexplicably inflated in a matter of hours. However, the BJP clamped down on his remarks, accusing him of suffering from “entitled child syndrome”.

Gandhi alleged that the number of people who voted in Maharashtra exceeded the number of adults in the state. “More people voted in the Maharashtra Assembly elections than there are adults in the state of Maharashtra. The Election Commission provided us with a voting figure for 5:30 pm, and between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm, 65 lakh voters cast their votes. This is physically impossible to happen,” he said.

He said that at an average of three minutes per vote, the numbers would have required polling stations to remain open till 2 am – something that didn’t happen.

Further questioning the transparency of the process, Gandhi said, “When we asked them for the videography, they not only refused, but they also changed the law so that now we are not allowed to ask for the videography.” However, the BJP linked his criticism to the Enforcement Directorate’s recent action in the National Herald case, alleging he had not only “insulted” the country’s institutions on foreign soil but had also indulged in corruption, and said he and his mother will be “sent to jail” for “embezzlement”.

The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP coalition Mahayuti had trounced the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance of the Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Maharashtra polls in November last year.

Taking exception to Gandhi’s remarks against the Election Commission, BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that Gandhi was venting his ire over the ED’s action in the National Herald case on the Election Commission.

“You will not be spared by the ED. You and your mother will be caught with proceeds of crime and sent to jail,” he said at a press conference at the BJP headquarters in the Capital.

“You are a traitor, not just because you insult Indian institutions and Indian democracy on foreign soil but also because you and your mother have embezzled crores of rupees of the country in the National Herald case. You and your mother will not be able to get away with this,” Patra said.

The ED had recently filed a chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others before a special court in New Delhi in the National Herald case, accusing them of allegedly laundering Rs 988 crore. Rahul Gandhi arrived in Boston on Saturday night and began his interactions with the business and Indian community members. He will visit Brown University in Rhode Island on April 21-22. At Brown University, Gandhi will give a talk and interact with faculty members and students.

Meanwhile, in Bhopal, Congress general secretary and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja on Monday defended Gandhi, alleging that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who first began the trend of criticising opposition parties on foreign soil. “It is the BJP’s old habit. Let me remind you, it was the honourable Prime Minister who first spoke about India’s internal political matters abroad, often insulting the opposition,” she alleged while speaking to reporters. Commenting on the BJP’s attack on the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, she remarked, “It’s like ‘Ulta Chor Kotwal Ko Daante’ (the pot calling the kettle black).”

“Rahulji has spoken things which are public. They should not always talk about disrespect to the nation. The disrespect to the nation takes place when the Constitution is played with,” she said and accused the BJP of disrespecting the Constitution and using the Central agencies according to its whims.