"No truth to it": BJP's GVL Narasimha Rao on Congress' 'vote theft' allegations

New Delhi [India], September 12 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Rajya Sabha MP GVL Narasimha Rao on Friday slammed Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress over allegations of "vote theft", saying that the entire country knows their campaign has no truth to it.
"The allegations levelled by Congress and their campaign have no truth to them. This is known across the country. To say that Congress' vote share has fallen after PM Modi came to power is incorrect. Thus, I have done a detailed analysis of Congress' performance in elections for the past three decades before Modi became the Prime Minister," Rao told ANI.
The BJP leader further attacked Congress, asking whether it considers all those as "vote chors" who created trouble for them in terms of shifting votes.
"In 1984, Congress performed the best when Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister. Of 543 seats, Congress got 404. Congress' votershare was 49.1 per cent. In 2014, Congress's vote percentage fell to 19.5 per cent when PM Modi came to power. Earlier, five out of 10 people used to vote for Congress. Now, the number is less than two. Those who have created trouble for Congress in terms of shifting the votes, does Rahul Gandhi call it 'vote chori'? His definition of 'vote chori' is this only," Rao said.
"VP Singh carried out an agitation against Congress. In 1989, Congress' situation was such that after a single election, it lost 10 per cent of its vote. I ask Rahul Gandhi; Will you call VP Singh a 'vote chor' for Congress?" he added.
In his article, the BJP leader listed several veterans (including Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, MK Stalin) of the opposition parties that are now in alliance with the Congress to essentially make a point that Congress has been defeated by these parties, with its vote share plummeting over the years, before PM Modi came to power.
"The Samajwadi party which uprooted the Congress party from Uttar Pradesh is its staunch ally today and Mayawati who projected the Congress as anti-Dalit became its ally in 1996 assembly polls. Would Rahul Gandhi explain as to why his party chose to align with the 'Vote Chor' parties in Uttar Pradesh and has not gathered courage to fight on its own?" Rao said.
Highlighting Congress' diminishing position in West Bengal since Jyoti Basu became the Chief Minister, the BJP leader said, "Would Rahul Gandhi gather courage to call Marxist Jyoti Basu and Mamta Banerjee as 'Vote Chor' in the campaign for West Bengal elections scheduled to be held next year?"
Rao said that PM Modi's coming to power was the "final nail in the coffin" that led to Congress' decline.
"It is high time the Congress party realises that fake narratives and 'shoot and scoot' politics may give it instant visibility and even appeal to rabid elements amongst its ranks but can neither erase nor alter historical facts," he added.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi reiterated his claims of providing "explosive" evidence of alleged vote theft in the previously held assembly elections.
Speaking to reporters, Gandhi asserted that votes being stolen was a "fact".
"We are about to give you dynamic and explosive evidence. The slogan 'vote chor, gaddi chor' is being echoed across the country. The fire is spreading since it is the truth. It is a fact that governments are being formed by stealing votes. We guarantee that we will be providing you with the proofs," he added.
Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference on August 7, levelled serious allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of direct involvement in large-scale voter fraud, with the Congress having "open-and-shut proof" of the alleged theft. (ANI)