Patna, Nov 1 (PTI) Leaders of the BJP-led NDA in Bihar on Sunday slammed the INDIA bloc for holding a rally in Delhi over ‘vote chori’ charges, accusing the opposition of discrediting constitutional institutions and trying to manufacture controversies over election processes.
The INDIA bloc held a rally at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital during the day against alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls across states.
“The opposition is trying to manufacture controversies without any substantive basis. They are attempting to create an impression that constitutional institutions are not functioning properly. Their efforts will never succeed as they are unable to secure the support of the people,” former Bihar minister and BJP leader Mangal Pandey told reporters.
He asserted that the Election Commission of India had conducted the SIR exercise transparently and that democratic institutions have been functioning in accordance with the Constitution.
Echoing similar sentiments, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad questioned the credibility of the opposition’s ‘vote chori’ allegation, saying its leaders had “failed” to substantiate their claim with evidence.
Claiming that there was poor turnout at the INDIA bloc rally in Delhi, Prasad said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his associates “failed to generate public enthusiasm”.
He also accused the Congress of selectively questioning election results, saying that its top leadership was content with the party’s victories in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh but raised a hue and cry when they lost polls.
“If the Election Commission could manipulate the elections in Bihar, as they allege, how did the Congress win in Karnataka and other places?” he asked, adding that people were no longer taking the opposition’s charges seriously.
Asked whether the opposition unity could pose a challenge to the NDA, Prasad said the alliance between opposition parties was “fragile and marked by internal contradictions”.
“The moment they come together, they have their daggers out against each other,” Prasad said.
Alleging that there were growing differences between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party over seat-sharing in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls, he said that they should first resolve their issues. PTI SUK BDC
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