New Delhi: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the Election Commission, accusing him of making allegations without evidence. Joshi said the poll body had earlier written to Rahul seeking an explanation on past claims, but he had neither replied nor provided proof.
He added that the Chief Electoral Officers of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Haryana had asked Rahul to submit a signed affidavit to enable official action, but the Congress leader had not done so. “After being removed from power, he has started a shop of lies,” Joshi alleged, recalling that since the time of Indira Gandhi and the Emergency, Congress has targeted constitutional institutions at will.
Joshi disputes voter claims
Referring to Rahul’s recent claim that one crore voters were added during the Maharashtra elections, Joshi said the Election Commission had clarified the number was 40 lakh, not 70 lakh or one crore as alleged. He also accused Rahul of lying on the Rafale issue, noting that voter rolls had grown during both UPA and NDA governments.
Questioning why the voter list was not challenged earlier, Joshi pointed out that a draft list is released before polls. “If any irregularities occurred in 2024, they were under your own government officials. Why didn’t you raise objections when the draft was given, or approach the court after losing? Congress did not even seek documents,” he said, adding that Rahul appeared “to be in another world.”