(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
BJP Leader GVL Narasimha Rao Fires Back at Rahul Gandhi’s Vote Theft Claims
In a sharp rebuttal, BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha MP GVL Narasimha Rao took on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his party over their ongoing allegations of vote theft in recent elections. Speaking to on Friday in New Delhi, Rao dismissed the claims as baseless, saying the whole country knows Congress’s "vote chor" campaign lacks any truth.
Rao, who conducted a detailed analysis of Congress’s election performance over the last three decades before Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, argued that blaming Modi for the party’s declining vote share is completely wrong. "The allegations from Congress have no truth to them. Everyone in India knows this," he told . He questioned if Congress labels everyone who shifted votes away from them as "vote chors" – thieves stealing votes.
Diving into history, Rao pointed out Congress’s peak in 1984 under Rajiv Gandhi, when they won 404 out of 543 Lok Sabha seats with a whopping 49.1% vote share. Fast forward to 2014, when Modi’s rise led to Congress’s vote percentage dropping to just 19.5%. "Back then, five out of every 10 voters backed Congress. Now, it’s less than two," Rao said. He asked Rahul Gandhi directly: "Does he call this vote chori? Is that your definition?"
Rao highlighted how other leaders and parties eroded Congress’s base long before Modi. For instance, VP Singh’s 1989 agitation against Congress caused a 10% vote drop in one election alone. "Rahul Gandhi, will you call VP Singh a vote chor?" he challenged.
In his article, Rao named several opposition heavyweights now allied with Congress, like Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and MK Stalin, to show how these figures defeated Congress and slashed its vote share years ago. He mocked Congress’s alliances in Uttar Pradesh, where the Samajwadi Party ousted them, and Mayawati’s BSP allied with them in 1996 despite calling Congress anti-Dalit. "Why does Rahul Gandhi’s party team up with these ‘vote chor’ parties in UP instead of fighting alone?" Rao asked.
Turning to West Bengal, Rao noted Congress’s decline since Jyoti Basu’s time as Chief Minister. With state elections coming up next year, he prodded Gandhi: "Do you have the guts to call Marxist Jyoti Basu and Mamata Banerjee vote chors in your campaign?"
Rao wrapped up by saying Modi’s arrival was the "final nail in the coffin" for Congress’s downfall. He urged the party to drop its "fake narratives and hoot-and-scoot politics," which might grab headlines but can’t change historical facts.
This comes after Rahul Gandhi doubled down on his vote theft accusations. On Friday, while talking to reporters, Gandhi promised "dynamic and explosive evidence" of votes being stolen in past assembly elections. "The slogan ‘vote chor, gaddi chor’ is echoing across India. The fire is spreading because it’s the truth. Governments are forming by stealing votes, and we’ll provide the proofs," he said.
Earlier, on August 7, Gandhi held a press conference slamming the Election Commission of India (ECI) for alleged large-scale voter fraud, claiming Congress has "open-and-shut proof" of the vote theft. The controversy around election integrity and Congress’s declining vote share continues to heat up Indian politics.
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