‘Lost 90 elections, now cries vote theft’: Anurag Thakur hits back at Rahul Gandhi | WATCH

New Delhi: Union Minister and senior BJP leader Anurag Thakur launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, following the latter’s explosive claims of “vote theft” and alleged collusion within the Election Commission. Thakur dismissed the accusations as yet another instance of baseless blame-shifting by a leader who has, he claimed, presided over a string of electoral failures.

"The Congress has lost approximately 90 elections under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. His frustration is increasing day-by-day. The has made politics of allegations his ornament. It has become a habit of Rahul Gandhi to make incorrect and baseless allegations," Thakur said at a press conference held at the BJP headquarters.

Thakur criticised Gandhi for what he described as a pattern of making serious accusations and later retreating when called upon to substantiate them. "Whenever the Election Commission demands proof, they backtrack. When asked to file affidavits, they refuse. Apologising after false claims and facing court reprimands has become Rahul Gandhi’s routine," he added.

‘Hydrogen bomb’ to phuljhari

Mocking Gandhi's press conference conducted earlier in the day, Thakur said, "He claimed to have a hydrogen bomb, but all he lit were a few firecrackers and even those fizzled out."

Citing previous instances such as the Rafale deal, the “Chowkidar Chor Hai” slogan, and remarks about the RSS, Thakur pointed out that Gandhi has repeatedly faced legal rebukes for his unverified accusations. "Slinging mud and running away has become his political strategy," Thakur said.

What did Rahul Gandhi say

Earlier, at a press conference at the Congress headquarters, Rahul Gandhi alleged a systematic attempt to rig elections through manipulation of the voter list and claimed to be receiving insider information from within the Election Commission.

"We have started getting help from inside the Election Commission. I am making it clear that we are now getting information from inside the Election Commission, this was not happening before," Gandhi stated. He went on to accuse Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of “protecting vote thieves” and being complicit in the alleged irregularities.

Election Commission responds

The Election Commission of India (ECI) swiftly dismissed Gandhi’s claims as “baseless and incorrect,” clarifying that no deletion of voter names can be carried out online by any member of the public, and that robust safeguards are in place to maintain the integrity of electoral rolls.