New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS) Cautioning against attempts to malign a constitutional body like the ECI, BJP leader Amit Malviya on Sunday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to prove his allegation of voter list manipulation by submitting names of the ineligible electors under declaration/oath.

“If Rahul Gandhi values his credibility, he must, under Declaration/Oath, submit the names of the ineligible electors he claims are on the voter list, as mandated by Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960,” said Malviya in a post on X.

“Failure to do so will make it abundantly clear that he has no real case, and was merely engaging in political theatre – aimed at distorting facts, sowing doubt in the public mind, and maligning a constitutional body entrusted with ensuring free and fair elections. Such conduct is reckless and deeply damaging to our democracy,” said Malviya, the head of the BJP’s IT wing.

Malviya’s fresh attack on Rahul Gandhi came a day after the BJP leader, on Saturday, accused the LoP of not presenting proof to support his allegations.

“Big false claims in public. Zero proof when it matters. That’s the Congress way,” Malviya wrote on X on Saturday, attaching a copy of Karnataka election official’s letter addressed to the state Congress chief and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

The letter issued by the Karnataka CEO’s office said, “You have not submitted any documents in support of the references made in the representation” given on August 8.

Malviya also hit out at Rahul Gandhi for running away from sharing evidence with the ECI. The BJP leader wrote on X, “After all the noise Rahul Gandhi made about ‘compromised’ electoral roll, he didn’t even have the courage to back it up. Forget giving a Declaration or Oath – he skipped the meeting with Election Commission officials entirely. Instead, he sent party functionaries empty-handed, without a single document.”

The war of words between the BJP and the Congress over alleged manipulation of the voter list peaked on Sunday, even as Gandhi launched a “vote Chori” campaign website, seeking public support for his repeated demand for the release of digital voter rolls.

On Monday, Rahul Gandhi is likely to lead an INDIA bloc march from Parliament House Complex to the office of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Delhi.

–IANS

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