BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday accused Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi of making false claims after his meeting with President Droupadi Murmu, criticising his remarks on alleged electoral irregularities and questioning his conduct as a parliamentary leader.
Speaking to reporters in Patna, Prasad rejected Gandhi’s account of the meeting and urged him not to involve the President in the political dispute.
“Rahul Gandhi lies; he is an expert at lying. Please spare the President. It is inappropriate, and the party has clearly refuted it; there was no such thing,” Prasad said.
He also criticised the Opposition’s allegations of “vote theft”, citing electoral defeats suffered by opposition parties in West Bengal by-elections and in a Lok Sabha constituency in Assam.
Prasad further said Gandhi’s conduct during protests in Delhi was not befitting the office of the Leader of the Opposition.
His remarks followed a meeting between Gandhi, other INDIA Bloc leaders and President Murmu, during which the Opposition raised concerns over alleged irregularities in the electoral process and demanded action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
After the meeting, Gandhi said he was “stunned” that the President had not denied the allegations, although she had sought evidence. He maintained that the Opposition had proof of electoral manipulation and announced plans to approach the Supreme Court.
“We will go to the Supreme Court on Monday to meet the Chief Justice of India and hand over a memorandum to him,” Gandhi said. The President’s office had not issued an official statement on the discussions at the time of the report.
Before the meeting, Gandhi led a group of Opposition MPs and leaders in a march from Parliament towards Rashtrapati Bhavan. A smaller delegation subsequently met the President and pressed for Kumar’s resignation.
The Opposition memorandum listed four principal demands: Kumar’s resignation; repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of election commissioners, which the Opposition says grants them lifelong immunity; immediate suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and restoration of 13.3 crore voters allegedly removed from the lists; and a return to paper ballots.
The delegation also sought the repeal of Assembly elections held over the previous two years in which it claimed conclusive evidence of “vote chori” had been presented.
The INDIA Bloc has repeatedly alleged irregularities in the electoral process, while the BJP has rejected the charges.
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