New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi after the latter alleged “massive vote theft” in the Haryana Assembly elections. Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, Rijiju accused Gandhi of spreading misinformation, insulting democratic institutions, and diverting attention from his party’s failures. 

Calling Gandhi’s allegations “baseless and fabricated”, Rijiju said the Congress leader “runs away during elections, returns after losing, and then blames everyone”.

“Rahul Gandhi addressed the press again to hide his failures. Voting in Bihar is just a day away, but instead of talking about Bihar, he was narrating a story about Haryana,” Rijiju said. “This clearly shows Congress has no issue left in Bihar, so they are fabricating the Haryana issue to divert attention.”

Rijiju dismissed Gandhi’s claim that 25 lakh fake votes were cast in Haryana as “laughable and irresponsible”, urging him to provide evidence to the Election Commission or court instead of “abusing institutions”.

“If there are irregularities, file a petition with the ECI, and approach the courts. But Rahul Gandhi never does that. He only holds press conferences and spreads baseless narratives,” he said.

The Union Minister also reminded Gandhi of the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, when exit polls predicted a BJP victory but the party accepted defeat gracefully.

“In 2004, exit polls were in our favour, but the results were different. We congratulated the UPA and did not abuse the Election Commission. In a democracy, one must accept both victory and defeat,” Rijiju said.

Taking a personal swipe, Rijiju alleged Gandhi frequently travels abroad during crucial political moments.

“During elections, he goes abroad, during Parliament, he secretly visits places like Cambodia and Thailand, and now, Colombia during the Bihar elections. Then he comes back and talks about atom bombs and fake issues,” Rijiju said, referring to Gandhi’s recent remarks.

Calling Gandhi’s conduct “immature and dangerous”, the Union Minister said the youth of India stand firmly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Rahul Gandhi is trying to provoke Gen Z, but the youth are wise. They see our hard work and India’s growth. Congress games in collaboration with anti-India forces will not succeed,” he asserted.

Rijiju added that even Congress leaders privately admit the party “cannot win as long as Rahul Gandhi remains their leader”.

–IANS

sas/dpb