New Delhi [India], September 24 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi launched a sharp counter-offensive against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Gandhi earlier cited an investigative report by The Indian Express, which revealed that two sitting Election Commissioners—Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi—had formally recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding procedures, database changes, and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
Addressing a press conference here, Trivedi took a swipe at Gandhi's presentation, saying that transparent election processes have made it impossible for the Congress to win elections.
"Just a short while ago, Rahul Gandhi once again presented a PPT in front of you. He claimed that he has been understanding politics for 50 years, but his own age is only 56... In Bengal, there has been no Congress government since 1977; in Bihar, there has been no Congress government since 1990... Rahul Gandhi has no knowledge of this... Ever since transparent elections have taken place, CCTV cameras have come in, and independent media has arrived, that's when they've started sweating to come to power... Politically speaking, Rahul Gandhi's knowledge is zero," Trivedi said.
Countering Rahul Gandhi’s assertion that anti-incumbency had become an established trend only after the BJP formed the government, the BJP leader called it a complete absence of political wisdom.
"Second, Rahul Gandhi said: 'Anti-incumbency is an established truth of this country, and that has happened after the BJP came to power.' I believe that, politically speaking, it shows a total absence of wisdom, and politically speaking, a complete void of knowledge. Rahul Gandhi ji doesn't know this, yes, it is true that anti-incumbency is definitely very consistent and strong against the Congress," Trivedi remarked.
BJP spokesperson further pointed out that decades before the BJP rose to prominence nationally, voters in key states had consistently rejected the grand old party.
"Does he have no knowledge of Indian political history? Ever since 1967, the Congress has never returned to power in Tamil Nadu—and back then, the Bharatiya Janata Party was not even in the picture. In Bengal, the Congress has not returned to power since 1977. And from 1977 to 2011, for 34 years, there was a Communist government in power. Yet, Rahul Gandhi simply cannot understand this; he cannot see it," the BJP MP said.
“In Bihar, there has been no Congress government since 1990. In UP, Congress has not been in power since 1989. Since 1999, Congress has not been in power in Odisha. Rahul Gandhi has no knowledge of this... Ever since transparent elections have taken place, CCTV cameras have come in, and independent media has arrived, they've started finding it difficult to come to power,” he added.
Earlier today, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned how standard anti-incumbency trends that have historically affected every political entity in India seem to mysteriously vanish for the ruling BJP.
"Indian elections, Lok Sabha Elections, 2024 elections, Vidhan Sabha Elections are all being rigged. The people on top of that list are who we call the conspirators. By the way, Mr Gyanesh Kumar, who is sitting there two election commissioners, two election commissioners are raising questions about that man. I have been raising questions; those questions were ignored. People of India believed it. But the institutional framework of India was not interested. But now, two election commissioners, by the way, chosen by the leadership. Gyanesh Kumar was chosen by the Prime Minister of India, not by anybody less. He was chosen by Amit Shah. And now two election commissioners are saying that Mr Gyanesh Kumar is responsible for the chaos, for the damage that has taken place to our voting system," he said.
Expanding on the pattern of state election results, Gandhi noted, "Haryana swings from one party to another for 50 years. Suddenly anti-incumbency disappears. Maharashtra swings; suddenly it disappears. Uttar Pradesh swings. Sometimes Samajwadi, sometimes BSP; it disappears. Madhya Pradesh, it disappears. Gujarat, it disappears. This has been a fundamental question for us. We can understand the popularity of a person, and the performance of a government, but we cannot understand how anti-incumbency disappears. Anti-incumbency does not exist in Saddam Hussein's Iraq. It does not exist in North Korea. There is no democracy on this planet where anti-incumbency does not exist..." (ANI)
"Rahul Gandhi's political knowledge is zero": BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi hits back at Cong leader over ECI, anti-incumbency remarks
