Bengaluru: Criticising the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, over his allegations of election fraud against the BJP and the Election Commission of India (ECI), Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy, described the charges by the Congress MP as a, “flood of lies against the Election Commission and a calculated conspiracy to strangle democracy.” The Congress said it had given the documents and it was up to the EC to rectify its mistakes or prove the papers wrong.
Taking to social media platform X, Union Minister Kumaraswamy claimed on Friday, “A sinister attempt to poison the spirit of ‘Amrit Kaal’, driven by those seeking political mileage through baseless allegations against constitutional institutions. Goebbelsian politics at its worst, lies to cover up the sins committed during the elections.”
Kumaraswamy further suggested, “There is one clear remedy for voter fraud: Link Aadhaar with Voter ID. It will put a full stop to this dangerous game. My strong appeal to the Election Commission of India is remove the thorn with a thorn.”
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, speaking to the media on Friday in Bengaluru, stated, “We also have our own intelligence within the Congress party. We have conducted research on election fraud. Before the elections in Karnataka, we did our homework and were able to prevent illegalities to some extent. Now, we know that we should file complaints in court. But that won’t work. No election cases get resolved. We want to show the people of the country what is happening and who is responsible.”
“It is our right and our democracy, and we must protect it,” Dy CM Shivakumar added.
Minister for RDPR, IT, and BT Priyank Kharge stated in Bengaluru, “We have released thousands of documents. Instead of verifying them and doing their duty, it is unacceptable to make allegations against LoP Rahul Gandhi.”
“We have revealed the truth by releasing these documents. You prove that they are wrong. Let the BJP and JD(S) prove that they are wrong,” he challenged.
Congress spokesperson Nizam Foujdar stated, “The Election Commission is shirking its responsibility. It does not want to acknowledge or correct its shortcomings. The main question is whether this was a mistake or a deliberate act. The evidence of election fraud has been verified using data from the Election Commission’s own website. It is clear that this is a major scam. The Election Commission should admit its mistake and announce steps to reform the system.”
(IANS)
