NEW DELHI: Indian National Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has raised serious allegations against both US President Donald Trump and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing them of undermining India’s democracy and electoral integrity.
Speaking to the media, Gandhi reiterated claims that Trump had exerted pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent India-Pakistan conflict, compelling him to “surrender.” Gandhi referred to Trump’s repeated statements, saying, “Trump has said 11 times that Modi stopped due to pressure from him.
I’m just repeating what Trump has said.” He added that Modi had not denied these claims, calling on the Prime Minister to refute Trump’s comments, should they be untrue.
At an event in Rajgir, Bihar, Gandhi criticized Modi’s leadership, linking the Prime Minister’s actions to his alleged “habit of surrendering.” He also made reference to Modi’s decision to enumerate castes during the next population census, a move that had long been demanded by opposition parties.
Gandhi claimed that Trump’s pressure had resulted in Modi’s submission, stating, “Trump gestured from there [the US], picked up the phone, and told Modi ‘what are you doing? Surrender.’ And, ji hazoor, Modi followed Trump’s instructions.”
In addition to his criticism of Modi, Gandhi turned his focus to the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, accusing the BJP-led government of rigging the elections on an “industrial scale.” In an op-ed for Indian Express, Gandhi called the manipulation of the election a “blueprint for rigging democracy” and warned that similar tactics might be used in the upcoming Bihar elections.
Describing the election fraud as more than “small-scale cheating,” Gandhi condemned the ruling BJP for undermining public trust and stated, “Match-fixing might win you the game, but it poisons democracy.”
The Congress leader pointed to the 2023 Election Commissioners Appointment Act, which allowed the BJP government to control the selection of election commissioners. Gandhi questioned, “Why remove a neutral arbiter unless you plan to rig the game?”
He also highlighted suspicious data, including a 41 lakh increase in the voter roll in just five months, as well as a sudden 7.83% rise in voter turnout after 5 PM on polling day, which he claimed was “unprecedented and suspicious.”
