Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday reacted to Rahul Gandhi's claims about last year's election in the state, saying that the Congress leader is "insulting" the people of Maharashtra.
Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Maharashtra assembly election held last year had been “rigged” and alleged that the same would be repeated in the upcoming Bihar assembly polls.
In a post on X, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, shared his own article published in a newspaper and wrote that the Maharashtra elections were a “blueprint for rigging democracy”.
Pointing to the article, Fadnavis said that Rahul Gandhi should understand the ground reality of the Congress party's grim future.
"Unless and until Rahul Gandhi understands the ground-level facts and stops lying to himself and giving false comfort and promises, his party will never win. He should wake up (from ignorance), otherwise, he will keep talking such things which are devoid of facts," he told reporters, according to PTI.
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{{/usCountry}}Fadnavis also alleged that Gandhi has insulted the electors of Maharashtra by casting aspersions on the fairness of elections.
"He has insulted voters and ladki bahins (beneficiaries of a state government scheme for poor women). I condemn his statement," he said, reported PTI.
Fadnavis pointed out that the Election Commission had earlier debunked his claims with evidence and released figures of increased voters in the previous elections and the latest one.
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"He is habituated to speaking lies. Gandhi believes that by lying every day, people will accept his claims as truth. He has made such allegations in the past. He doesn't know what he is saying. People listening to him don't understand what he says. I feel there is no need to react," he added.
The senior BJP leader also advised Gandhi to stop "convincing himself, wake up, and work on the ground", claiming Congress has no future.
What Rahul Gandhi said
In his post on X, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, shared his own article published in a newspaper and wrote: “How to steal an election? Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy. My article shows how this happened, step by step.”
He added, “Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission, Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll, Step 3: Inflate voter turnout, Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where BJP needs to win, Step 5: Hide the evidence.”
Gandhi further said: “It’s not hard to see why the BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra. But rigging is like match-fixing - the side that cheats might win the game, but damages institutions and destroy public faith in the result.”
He also urged all concerned Indian citizens to demand answers and judge the situation for themselves while evaluating the evidence.
(Inputs from PTI)