'Rahul Gandhi should apologise or prove his claims', Chirag Paswan backs ECI

New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS) Union Minister Chirag Paswan came out strongly against Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, backing the Election Commission of India (ECI) after it rejected Gandhi’s claims of large-scale voter list manipulation.

“Go ahead and verify your claim. You spoke so much, gave a speech in English for an hour and a half, and then just left. If there’s such a serious issue, the Election Commission should be approached. Congress is the country’s oldest party, RJD is Bihar’s oldest party, and yet they make such claims with no head or tail,” Paswan said.

“This is exactly what we’re saying: you complain about names being cut from the voter list, you say many complaints are coming in, but as a responsible political party, why haven’t you gone to the ECI?” he asked.

The Election Commission, in a rare and stern response on Friday, had asked Rahul Gandhi to either submit his allegations under oath or apologise to the nation, dismissing his presentation during the INDIA bloc meeting as a “distorted and baseless analysis”. The ECI said that if Gandhi does not sign the declaration, it would mean that he does not believe in his analysis and is making absurd allegations. The poll body also said that during the preparation of the electoral roll for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress files hardly any complaint anywhere in the states and union territories under the Representation of the People Act.

Paswan also accused the Congress and its allies of disrupting Parliament, saying, “Instead of following procedure and approaching the relevant ministry or authority, they’re staging protests and disrupting Parliament, which is not only irresponsible but also disrespectful to democratic institutions.”

Paswan further slammed opposition parties for questioning the military's actions during Operation Sindoor, where the IAF confirmed downing six Pakistani aircraft.

“Just to oppose one person, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they raise questions on the Army’s honour, speaking the language of Pakistan. This is shameful. Our Army's bravery should never be doubted.”

Earlier on Saturday, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh shared detailed intelligence and satellite imagery confirming India’s precision strikes on Pakistani terror infrastructure in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

--IANS

rs/dpb