New Delhi Aug 14 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today accused the Congress of electoral irregularities, targeting former Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s early entry into the voter list and alleged election malpractices by the party over the years.
At a press conference here, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat made serious allegations against Sonia Gandhi, alleging that her name appeared in the electoral rolls even before she was granted Indian citizenship.
Raising questions about the legality of her inclusion in the voters’ list, Shekhawat asked, “When Sonia Gandhi was granted Indian citizenship in 1983, three years before that, without being an Indian citizen, under which law and on what basis did she get her name registered in the voter list and exercise her right to vote? On every occasion when the country needed to unite and feel proud, Rahul Gandhi has embraced opposing and foreign forces, strengthening his ties with them and empowering those who speak against India.”
Questioning the Congress silence in the matter, Shekhawat said “We had asked Sonia Gandhi a question yesterday, and the Congress party’s commanders, who usually rush to respond to any issue immediately, have remained silent even after 24 hours in this matter.”
The Minister also alleged that the Congress party had consistently resorted to unethical means to gain and retain political power. “The Congress has always pursued power through fraud, deception, and manipulation—regardless of whether the means were moral or immoral,” he said.
Citing data, Shekhawat stated that “from Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, every ruler from the Gandhi-Nehru family has relied on fraud, deceit, and treachery to win elections. He further said that the Gandhi family, which has engaged in stealing mandates, looting booths to influence election results, rejecting votes to alter outcomes, and depriving voters of their rights through unethical means, is now making baseless statements to portray itself as the saviour of democracy.”
Referring to alleged malpractices during the tenure of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Shekhawat said that open instances of booth capturing had taken place in his constituency of Amethi.
“Voters were openly prevented from casting their votes. The situation necessitated repolling in certain areas, and even then, efforts were made to obstruct that process,” he stated.
In a scathing attack on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, the BJP leader accused him of repeatedly aligning with forces that were “hostile to national interests.”
He alleged that Gandhi, who has been busy pointing fingers at the Election Commission’s integrity with regard to the electoral roll process in Bihar, had failed to stand with the nation during key moments requiring unity, choosing instead to “embrace foreign and adversarial powers.”
Shekhawat also reiterated allegations concerning the 1952 general elections. He claimed that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru conspired to prevent Dr. BR Ambedkar from entering the Lok Sabha.
“First, Nehru fielded a candidate against Ambedkar. Then, with the help of the Communist Party, a tactical alliance was formed. When results didn’t favour the establishment, 74,333 votes were allegedly declared invalid—leading to Ambedkar’s defeat.”
The Union Minister asserted that the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha needs to act in a responsible and mature manner as voters are now intelligent and can pick between false and true narratives.
