BJP accuses Rahul Gandhi of making ‘false claims’, lacking understanding of Indian politics; calls his press conference ‘damp squib’

Amid fresh “vote chori” allegations by Rahul Gandhi on Thursday following a newspaper report of a “rift” among Election Commissioners over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the BJP hit back, accusing the Congress leader of making “false claims and lacking an understanding of Indian politics”.

BJP national spokesperson and MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said Gandhi’s political understanding was “virtually non-existent” and alleged that he lacked even a “fundamental understanding of Indian politics”.

Addressing a press conference, Gandhi invoked the anti-incumbency factor while targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing it as a “fundamental force” in India that can quickly begin to work against any government, wondering why the BJP does not face it and continues winning elections after elections.

BJP leader Bhandari took a swipe at Gandhi, referring to his press conference as “Jhoot Ki Goonj” and “damp squib”. Taking to X, Bhandari wrote, “Rahul Gandhi’s press conference was a damp squib! It was ‘Jhoot Ki Goonj’ by a frustrated leader not able to win People’s support through democratic means.”

According to Bhandari, Rahul’s claim that there had been no anti-incumbency against the BJP since 2014 was false, as the “BJP has lost 20 elections since 2014.” “Did Congress under Nehru do “vote chori”, or did Congress win in Rae Bareilly 16 times in a row,” he said.

Trivedi questioned the sources of the presentation used by Gandhi during the press conference, saying it appeared to be based on information from “unknown, conspicuous, and dubious sources that nobody knows”.

He also questioned the newspaper report on which Gandhi based his remarks, asking why the statements of Election Commissioners were not given in it. “How can it be a valid report without the statements of Election Commissioners?” he said.

“I want to state this categorically: the anti-incumbency sentiment actually lies within the Congress party, specifically within the Gandhi family,” Trivedi said.

He claimed that the Congress had become dependent on allies to win elections in several constituencies. Referring to Rae Bareli and Amethi, Trivedi alleged that the Congress had relied on the Samajwadi Party’s support in recent elections.

He also talked about the Gandhi family’s electoral victories in Wayanad and alleged that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra benefited from the support of the Indian Union Muslim League.

“They lack the capability and the political standing to secure a seat without the Muslim League’s support. Therefore, I believe the assessment regarding Rahul Gandhi’s lack of experience is absolutely correct. Politically, his knowledge is virtually non-existent, but he lacks even a fundamental understanding of Indian politics.”