New Delhi: The Congress party has come to the defense of Rahul Gandhi, who has been targeted by his opponents over the BJP’s crushing defeat in the recently concluded Bihar Assembly elections. Earlier this year, Rahul began focusing on reviving the grand old party in Bihar and appointed former youth wing chief Krishna Allavaru as the AICC in-charge for the state.
Later, Rahul participated in the party’s yatra demanding jobs for youth. He also addressed several Save the Constitution conventions to woo marginalized groups and led a statewide yatra in August against the controversial voter list deletion, but addressed only 13 rallies and did not visit all 61 Congress seats during the campaign.
On November 14th, the All India Alliance won only 35 seats out of 243, compared to the NDA’s 202, and the Congress only 6 seats, leading to criticism that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha was responsible for the opposition’s poor performance in Bihar, when in fact the RJD, VIP, IIP, and Left parties were also fighting against the ruling coalition.
According to party insiders, Rahul is being targeted by the BJP and its supporters and is facing a media trial because they want to discredit the Leader of the Opposition, who is the sole crusader against the alleged vote theft institutionalized by the ruling party, but the Congress will respond.
AICC Secretary in charge of Bihar, Sushil Pasi, told ETV Bharat, “Information regarding fake votes, multiple voter ID cards, fake addresses, hundreds of people registered in small one-room houses is now public, and credit goes to Rahul Gandhi for bringing this to light.
He exposed the nefarious collusion between Prime Minister Modi and the Election Commission with evidence. He asked direct and precise questions and demanded data, which was refused. The Election Commission is removing and adding names of millions of voters in state after state as per its whims, weakening democracy.
He said, “The attack on Rahul Gandhi is being carried out to defame him, suppress his voice of truth, and divert attention from vote theft, but this will not happen.” According to Congress insiders, although the grand old party was a component of the India Bloc in Bihar, Prime Minister Modi was targeting the grand old party and predicting its disintegration, in order to confuse and demoralize the party workers.
AICC Secretary in charge of Maharashtra, B.M. Sandeep He told ETV Bharat, “The Prime Minister is daydreaming that the Congress will split. The BJP hasn’t been able to decide on a president in the last two years, so they should stop worrying about us. They’ve been talking about a Congress-free India since 2014, but haven’t succeeded. The Congress is united and led by Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. He said, “The party is capable of overcoming the challenges posed by the NDA government.”
According to Congress insiders, after the Bihar election results, both friends and foes of the grand old party were suggesting various strategies, but the party was patiently considering them. However, the need of the hour was to highlight the lack of a level playing field whenever the BJP faced tough elections, whether in Bihar, Maharashtra, Haryana, or Madhya Pradesh.
AICC Secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh, Chandan Yadav, told ETV Bharat, “The Election Commission is our constitutional institution; it must have credibility. Fair elections are essential to maintain that credibility—and Congress wants that too. A large number of people have come forward who voted in Delhi, voted in Bihar, and continue to vote in many other places. During any election, there is a blatant abuse of resources, power, and control. Those who fight against this face harassment and pressure and are bound by strict rules and regulations.
He said, “Our leaders are emphasizing the need for a level playing field, and we will continue to fight for it. We will investigate the reasons for the defeat in Bihar, but we cannot rule out vote-rigging.”
