Thiruvanathapuram; Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has renewed his demand for Rahul Gandhi to apologise to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Election Commission over remarks made amid the controversy surrounding reported differences within the poll panel over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Chandrasekhar reiterated his demand on Monday after Kerala Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan criticised his remarks against Rahul Gandhi.

The BJP leader said Rahul Gandhi should apologise to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over remarks directed at him and to the Election Commission over allegations concerning the SIR exercise.

Chandrasekhar said that if Gandhi apologised, he would stop referring to the Congress leader as a “fraud”.

What Chandrasekhar said

Chandrasekhar described his proposal as an “offer” to Satheesan and repeated it in posts on Facebook and X.

He said: “If you get Rahul to apologise for calling our PM Narendra Modi a ‘deshdrohi’ and have him apologise to the Election Commission for lying, then I promise to stop referring to Rahul Gandhi as a fraud.”

Chandrasekhar also accused Satheesan of using what he described as “lies, unkept promises, corruption, and appeasement” as a political strategy.

These are Chandrasekhar's political allegations and do not constitute independently established findings.

What is the SIR controversy?

The latest exchange comes amid a political dispute over reported differences of opinion among Election Commissioners regarding the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

The SIR exercise involves the verification and revision of electoral rolls. Questions have been raised by Opposition leaders over the Election Commission's handling of the process, while the poll panel has maintained that its final decisions, including decisions relating to SIR, were taken unanimously.

The reported differences within the Election Commission have become a point of political contention, with the Opposition questioning the functioning of the poll panel and BJP leaders defending the institution's decision-making process.

Satheesan had criticised Chandrasekhar over his personal remarks against Rahul Gandhi. The Congress leader argued that personal and abusive comments against the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha did not amount to political criticism.

Chandrasekhar responded that he rarely made personal attacks on political opponents but claimed he was “compelled” to do so in Gandhi's case.

He also accused Gandhi of making remarks against the Prime Minister and the Election Commission that, according to him, should be condemned.

The dispute comes at a time when the SIR exercise and the functioning of the Election Commission have become subjects of political debate.

For the BJP, Chandrasekhar's remarks focus on defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Election Commission while challenging Rahul Gandhi's criticism.

For the Congress and other Opposition parties, questions surrounding the SIR process and reported differences within the Election Commission have become part of a wider debate over electoral-roll revision and the functioning of the poll body.

The latest exchange between Chandrasekhar and Satheesan therefore combines a Kerala political confrontation with the broader national debate over SIR and the Election Commission.