India
oi-Madhuri Adnal
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah would be investigated over what he described as a “crime” linked to alleged election rigging, asserting that the Congress and Opposition would not allow the matter to go unanswered.
“Everyone has to act carefully and thoughtfully. Because those who have committed this crime are going to be punished. We already have enough information, so do not worry. You will see in the next two, three or four months what is going to happen because the information is available to us,” Gandhi said at a press conference.
Rahul Gandhi alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will be investigated for election rigging, expressing 100% certainty that Indian elections are rigged and promising action within months.
He said the Congress and Opposition had sufficient information and made a commitment on behalf of the people of India that Modi and Shah would face an investigation.
“I am making a commitment here on behalf of the people of India, the Congress party and the Opposition, that Mr Modi and Mr Shah will be investigated for this crime. No matter what happens, we are not going to let this crime go unanswered,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi also claimed he was “100 per cent certain” that elections in India were being rigged, alleging that the destruction of votes amounted to an attack on the Constitution, the law-making system and democratic institutions.
“100 per cent sure that elections are rigged. All elections are rigged,” he said, while questioning how anti-incumbency appeared to have disappeared from Indian politics.
Gandhi began the press conference by showing what he described as a video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in which Shah is heard saying that the BJP government would remain in power for 30 years.
“I come from a political family. No political leader can say or make such statements,” Gandhi said while referring to the purported remarks.
He argued that anti-incumbency had historically affected governments, citing former prime minister Indira Gandhi as an example. Gandhi said that despite her government’s victory in the Bangladesh war, it faced “massive anti-incumbency and pressure” within a year or two.
“The same happens to leaders after leaders. For some reason, it doesn’t happen to Narendra Modi, Mr Shah, or the BJP,” he said.
Gandhi said the movement of electoral support between states and the apparent absence of anti-incumbency had become a “fundamental question” for the Congress.
“We can understand the popularity of a person, understand the performance of a government. But can’t understand how anti-incumbency disappears. It doesn’t exist in North Korea. There is no democracy where anti-incumbency doesn’t work. We are looking for answer to where it went here. And we have found answers,” he said.
Gandhi also criticised the Election Commission, describing it as the “institutional protector” of votes and alleging that any failure to protect votes would have wider consequences for the constitutional system.
“The Election Commission is the institutional protector of this vote. It is their responsibility to protect the vote. And then everything arises from there. If the vote is destroyed, the Constitution does not function, laws are illegal and institutions mean nothing,” he said.
Gandhi maintained that he was not making the allegations without evidence and claimed that information already available was sufficient, in his view, to establish his allegations with “100 per cent certainty”.
“These are the people who have done this. And I am not speaking in the air. I have shown it with proof. Let me tell you, there is already more than enough information to make this 100 per cent certain, not 99 per cent, a 100 per cent certainty, that Indian elections, Lok Sabha elections, 2024 elections, Vidhan Sabha elections are all being rigged,” he said.
