Mumbai: Amid serious allegations of vote tampering in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has raised critical questions through a published article — questions that seem to have unsettled the BJP. Instead of the Election Commission responding to these queries, BJP leader and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has penned a counter-article, which Congress leaders have dismissed as laughable. Maharashtra Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal stated that instead of addressing Rahul Gandhi’s pointed concerns, Fadnavis attempted to distract the public through criticism and misleading claims.
Speaking at a press conference at Tilak Bhavan, Sapkal launched a scathing attack on Fadnavis’ article. He said that Fadnavis and the BJP-led alliance were the direct beneficiaries of the vote theft, implying they are the accused. “They are enjoying the fruits of stolen power and now pretending to provide justifications. Don’t act like Ramshastri Prabhune — your governance is more akin to Ghashiram Kotwal,” Sapkal said mockingly. He dismissed Fadnavis’ responses as superficial and evasive.
“Fadnavis is a habitual liar,” Sapkal continued. “He once said he wouldn’t marry until Vidarbha becomes a separate state, and that he would never align with Ajit Pawar or NCP. He had made serious corruption allegations against Chhagan Bhujbal and said he belonged in jail. The same goes for his accusations against Narayan Rane. Today, these same people are sitting beside him. It’s not just grinding the same flour — it’s mixing and fixing with them. Fadnavis is an expert in giving clean chits to corrupt ministers. Now he has gone a step further by absolving the Election Commission itself, which only deepens public suspicion. If there’s not just ‘something fishy in the dal’, the entire dish is black,” Sapkal quipped.
He added that the warnings and issues Rahul Gandhi has raised in the past have often proven true. “He warned about the Chinese threat — now China is encroaching on our borders. He predicted the economic fallout of demonetization and a drop in GDP — that too came true. He raised the alarm about COVID-19 while the BJP government downplayed it, and now the nation is paying the price. Once again, he’s raising doubts about the electoral process — this is a threat to democracy. It is the responsibility of the Election Commission to address these doubts, but instead, it has changed the rules and refused to release CCTV footage.”
Fadnavis also spoke about the appointment of Election Commissioners, but conveniently ignored the fact that during Congress’s tenure, T. N. Seshan was appointed and had firmly enforced the election code of conduct. “However, the Modi government removed the Chief Justice from the appointment panel and replaced them with one of their own ministers — something Fadnavis forgot to mention,” Sapkal said. He called the BJP leader’s article a desperate cover-up, possibly written on the orders of his “bosses in Delhi.”
On the question of why Rahul Gandhi turns to the media, Sapkal clarified, “The media is the fourth pillar of democracy. Does the Election Commission not recognize this?” He demanded that the commission provide objective answers to the questions raised by Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party.
In a sensational demand, Sapkal called for a narco test of State Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam and former Additional Chief Electoral Officer Kiran Kulkarni, asserting that this would reveal the truth behind the alleged vote theft in Maharashtra.
Regarding Fadnavis’ recent visit to Gadchiroli, Sapkal remarked, “He says he visited Gadchiroli, but it’s clear he’s more interested in the mining profits there, which is why he accepted the position of Guardian Minister of the district.” He concluded by stating that Congress will visit Gadchiroli not for profit but to raise public awareness against election fraud.
