New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Saturday questioned the veracity of the claims made by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi following the INDIA Bloc’s meeting with President Droupadi Murmu.
This came as a delegation of INDIA Bloc MPs, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, met the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan Friday and submitted a memorandum alleging electoral irregularities by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an attempt to undermine Indian democracy.
LoP Gandhi said President Droupadi Murmu had asked the Opposition delegation to provide evidence to substantiate its allegations of ‘vote chori (vote theft)’ following a meeting over the controversy surrounding CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Reacting to LoP Gandhi’s remarks, BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy questioned the propriety of publicly disclosing details of a conversation with the President, arguing that such statements could raise concerns about the dignity of the constitutional office.
“When you meet a person holding the country’s highest constitutional office and then disclose what was discussed, it raises serious questions about propriety. Neither you nor I can go and ask the President what she said. Rahul Gandhi’s claims may even be untrue. However, as the Leader of the Opposition, he has the right to meet the President, but he does not have the right to comment on what the President said,” Rudy said.
Bihar BJP President Sanjay Saraogi also questioned the Opposition’s allegations, stating that although meeting the President was a constitutional right, the INDIA Bloc should have presented evidence to support its claims regarding the electoral roll revision exercise.
Also Read : Claims by Rahul Gandhi that President Murmu didn’t deny ‘vote theft’ charge incorrect: Sources
“Meeting the President is everyone’s constitutional right, but did you present any evidence? No evidence was provided regarding the SIR. The SIR process takes around 150 days, during which draft publications are shared with district presidents and a one-month period is given for objections. Across the country, around 20 lakh names have been deleted, and even ordinary citizens can fill Form 7,” Saraogi told IANS.
Janata Dal (United) National Spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan, speaking to IANS, said that political parties in a democracy were free to express their views but argued that the Opposition should also reflect on its political standing and its relationship with voters.
“In a democracy, no political party is barred from expressing its views. However, Opposition parties must understand that they reap what they sow. You have consistently ignored the people. Gyanesh Kumar’s tenure may be short-lived, but there are several states where the Congress was once a mainstream party and has been unable to regain that status,” Ranjan said.
The other members of the delegation were Mamata All India Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee, J&K Chief Minister and National Conference Vice-President Omar Abdullah, NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule, CPI-M General Secretary M.A. Baby, RJD Rajya Sabha member Prof Manoj Kumar Jha, CPI General Secretary D. Raja, Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai, and VCK President and MP Dr Thirumaavalavan Tholkappiyan.
The meeting took place after several days of protests by Opposition leaders against the Election Commission, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged irregularities in the electoral process. The Opposition has also been demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
