Not vote theft but Rahul Gandhi's mind was stolen: CM Fadnavis jibes

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched a sharp attack on Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis said that while Rahul Gandhi may carry a copy of the Constitution in his hand, his real plan is something else altogether.

Fadnavis said Rahul Gandhi's aim is to use the Constitution as a front to discredit constitutional institutions. He said Rahul Gandhi wants to build a system in which people lose faith in constitutional institutions, leading to anarchy in the country. According to the Chief Minister, once the public feels that existing constitutional institutions cannot deliver them justice, all these institutions would be pushed towards a leftist line of thinking. Fadnavis called this a deliberate strategy on Rahul Gandhi's part.

On the allegations around the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and vote theft, the Chief Minister posed a question to Rahul Gandhi. He asked that if voters' names were removed through the SIR, then how did the Trinamool Congress (TMC) win. Fadnavis said that in the West Bengal elections there are at least 15 seats where a large number of votes were reduced because of the SIR, and yet the TMC won there. He asked that if the BJP had used the SIR to remove voters of an opposing ideology, then how did the TMC win those seats.

The Chief Minister said that everyone gets an opportunity in the SIR process. Every political party can appoint its own Booth Level Agent (BLA) at every booth, and the BLA has the right to raise objections. He said objections can be raised against every single page and every single name in the voter list.

Reacting further to Rahul Gandhi, Fadnavis said he wanted to say clearly that no vote theft has taken place, but rather Rahul Gandhi's mind has been stolen. The Chief Minister said that if his mind has indeed been stolen, he would request the Prime Minister to set up a committee to find and bring back his mind, so that he could always speak the truth in the country's interest. Fadnavis also said Rahul Gandhi should take part in this process.

Fadnavis said Rahul Gandhi only speaks in opposition. He said Rahul Gandhi knows that the public does not accept him and that he has no real issues, which is why he is trying to create a strange atmosphere.

Speaking further on the SIR, the Chief Minister said that if an eligible voter's name has been removed from the list, they can file an objection. Even if someone's name is not on the voter list, an objection can still be raised. Fadnavis asked how one could understand the process without taking part in it. The Chief Minister also clarified that if there were errors of five to ten percent in this process, or if someone's name was missed from being registered, that person could later file their objection.