"Certainty of defeat might have...": Sudhanshu Trivedi lashes out at INDIA bloc over its remarks on ECI

New Delhi [India], June 3 (ANI): Coming down heavily upon the INDIA bloc over its allegations that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had called up district magistrates after voting for the Lok Sabha elections were completed, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sudhanshu Trivedi on Monday said that the certainty of an electoral defeat might have put animosity in the opposition's minds.
Trivedi was addressing the media here in the national capital.
"The election is in its final phases. Polls are conducted, the governments come and go but one should never question the decency of the democracy. First, the opposition parties used abusive words against PM Modi, the BJP and our governance- we accepted it. But when you attack democracy...we would not accept it. We BJP-NDA alliance had one formula- trust based on growth and development. While the opposition had one formula- fear based on illusion..." he said.
Trivedi further added, "The certainty of an inevitable electoral defeat might have put up salinity in their (opposition) mind. The Election Commission has given a technical and befitting revert to the questions being raised about the electoral process."
Taking a swipe at the Congress party, Trivedi said, "The allegations that calls were made to 150 District Magistrates clearly show how abrupt discourse was put up by the opposition. I want to ask the Congress party- Did the ECI do its job in the correct ways in Telangana and Karnataka? How come it did a bad job in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh? What kind of discussion is this? According to them, the ECI did a good job in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi; but in Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, it failed to do so."
"What are they trying to prove? Victory and defeat and inevitable but do not question democracy. On a lighter note, do not make the mistake of taking the entire country as 'Pappu'", added the BJP leader.
Earlier on Saturday, Jairam Ramesh had alleged that the "outgoing" Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. He called it "BJP desperation" and said officials should not get under the pressure of such intimidation.
"So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is. Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr Modi, Mr Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the INDIA Janbandhan will be victorious. Officers should not get under any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch," he said.
In response to this, the ECI sought factual information and details from Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in support of his claims.
Meanwhile, earlier today, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar rebuffed the claims made by the Congress leader stating that it was not right to spread "rumour" and "doubt everyone."
"Can someone influence them all? (district magistrates/returning officers) all? Can anyone influence 500-600 people? Tell us who did this. We will punish the person who did it. They should tell the details before counting the votes. It is not right that you spread a rumour and doubt everyone," Kumar said at a press conference a day before the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections.
Lok Sabha elections were held in seven phases from April 19 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi steering the BJP campaign. Votes will be counted on June 4. (ANI)