Bengaluru, July 25 (IANS) Karnataka BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra on Friday questioned Rahul Gandhi’s claims, saying how could the Congress party come to power in the state if the Centre had misused the Election Commission.

Vijayendra was responding to the allegations by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi against the Election Commission of India and his claim of having concrete proof that the ECI allowed cheating for a seat in Karnataka.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Friday, Vijayendra said, “Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the Centre and the BJP misused the Election Commission to commit irregularities during the Lok Sabha elections. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar have also endorsed Rahul Gandhi’s views. The Congress party, facing repeated defeats, has become desperate. The Election Commission is a constitutional institution. Casting suspicion on such a body is both an insult and a threat to democracy.”

“I want to ask Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar — if the Election Commission was truly misused, how did the Congress come to power in Karnataka with 136 MLAs? If the Centre and BJP had misused the Election Commission, would Mr. Siddaramaiah have become Chief Minister? Would Mr. Shivakumar have become Deputy Chief Minister?” Vijayendra questioned.

“You even won the recent by-elections held for three Assembly seats. Was there no misuse then? If the BJP had actually misused the Election Commission, it would be the ruling party in Karnataka today,” he asserted.

Vijayendra termed the statements made by Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah, and Shivakumar as “dangerous”. He said the Congress leadership’s mindset of imposing the Emergency had not changed and demanded that the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister issue an apology.

“Already, the issue related to electoral rolls in Bihar is under consideration by the Supreme Court. If they really have evidence, they should present it before the Supreme Court. Despite this, targeting the Election Commission is inappropriate,” he opined.

“Let me be clear — Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about the Election Commission are not just an insult to democracy but also amount to undermining a constitutional authority. If his allegations were true, the BJP would be in power in Karnataka,” he reiterated.

Speaking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi completing 4,078 days in office, Vijayendra said, “It is a proud moment. After Jawaharlal Nehru, Narendra Modi is the second Prime Minister to have led the country for such a long period. On behalf of the people of Karnataka, I congratulate Prime Minister Modi.”

He added that Prime Minister Modi, now serving his third term, considers himself a servant of the nation and leads from the front. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has never done anything to impose an emergency in the country. He is not in power due to sympathy. It is through honesty, hard work, and development that he has become Prime Minister for a third time — and he will continue to lead the country in the future as well,” Vijayendra stated.

–IANS

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