"People are taking Rahul Gandhi lightly": BJP's OBC Morcha National President K Laxman hails PM Modi's leadership

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 23 (ANI): Rajya Sabha MP and National President of the BJP OBC Morcha K Laxman on Sunday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, citing the party's continuous wins across the country. He criticised Rahul Gandhi, saying his comments on EVMs and vote theft are being taken lightly by the people.
Dr Laxman attributed the BJP's success to PM Modi's leadership and development initiatives and dismissed Gandhi's comments on EVMs and vote theft as unconvincing. Dr Laxman claimed regional parties are suffering losses due to the Congress's weaknesses.
"Wherever elections are being held across the country, the BJP and NDA are winning again and again under the leadership of PM Modi... Rahul Gandhi has no issues because in 11 years, PM Modi has worked to bring development and welfare schemes to every person in society.... When the BJP is winning continuously, he sometimes comments on EVMs and sometimes raises the issue of vote theft. In this way, people are taking Rahul Gandhi lightly... Today, many regional parties are also suffering losses due to the Congress...," said Laxman.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday that "chaos" has been unleashed across the country in the garb of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls and alleged that 16 Booth Level Officers have died due to stress.
The SIR is underway in nine States and three Union Territories. The first phase of SIR was held in Bihar ahead of the State's assembly elections."Under the guise of SIR, chaos has been unleashed across the country - the result? In three weeks, 16 BLOs have lost their lives. Heart attacks, stress, suicides - SIR is no reform, it's an imposed tyranny," Rahul Gandhi alleged in a post on X in Hindi.
"SIR is a calculated ploy - where citizens are being harassed and the deaths of BLOs from unnecessary pressure are dismissed as "collateral damage." This is not a failure, it's a conspiracy - a sacrifice of democracy to protect those in power," the Congress MP alleged.
According to the media report shared by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, 16 BLOs have died in six states, including four each in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, three in West Bengal, two in Rajasthan, and one each in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
After the death of the BLO in West Bengal sparked a political row, Governor CV Ananda Bose on Sunday said that the death of BLO Shanti Muni Ekka, who allegedly took her own life due to "unbearable pressure" from the SIR of electoral rolls work, will be examined in detail.
"In such a situation, it is better to avoid a knee-jerk reaction. What the Chief Minister said has to be examined in detail. I am sure we have an Election Commission which is strong enough and has a balanced outlook. All these issues can be examined properly and appropriate solutions found, but what is required is free and fair elections in this country," the Governor said.
The final elector's list is to be published on February 7, 2026.
These states and UTs include Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress will hold an internal meeting on November 24, to be chaired by party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The objective of this meeting will be a SIR-related review, improvements across many places and districts, and ensuring that no names are left out.CM Mamata Banerjee will meet the Matua community in Bongaon, North 24 Parganas, on November 25. (ANI)