The BJP on Monday criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent remarks about the Election Commission during a meeting in Boston.
Party spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari hit out at Gandhi, claiming that after failing to win the trust of the Indian electorate, he was now questioning India's democratic process on foreign soil.
Bhandari took to X, writing, "Anti Democracy, Anti India Rahul Gandhi, who could not win the trust of the Indian electorate, begins to question the Indian democratic process on a foreign soil."
Bhandari further raised concerns about Gandhi's intentions, accusing him of defaming India internationally, and suggested that Gandhi had become an agent of George Soros, who is allegedly against the Indian state. "Why does Rahul always defame India on foreign soil? An agent of George Soros who is fighting the Indian state - that's what Rahul Gandhi's intent today is," Bhandari’s post continued.
Another BJP spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla, joined the criticism, pointing out that Gandhi’s speech reflected a broader pattern of undermining Indian institutions.
"Rahul Gandhi's identity is to humiliate Indian organisations and institutions on foreign soil. He goes abroad and makes comments on India's Constitution, judiciary, and questions the Election Commission of India (ECI). This shows how people, while going against PM Modi, have started going against the country," Poonawalla stated.
This backlash comes after Rahul Gandhi’s address to the Indian diaspora in Boston, where he alleged that the Election Commission (EC) in India was "compromised."
He claimed that there was something fundamentally wrong with the system, citing the Maharashtra elections as an example. Gandhi stated that 65 lakh voters were added to the electoral roll in just two hours, which he said was physically impossible.
He further claimed that between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM, 65 lakh votes were cast, and he questioned the integrity of the system when his request for videography was denied.
"It’s very clear to us that the Election Commission is compromised, and there is something very wrong with the system. I have said this multiple times," Gandhi stated.
In response, sources from the Election Commission rejected these claims, stating that allegations of manipulated electoral rolls were unfounded.
According to these sources, very few appeals were made under the Representation of People Act for correcting or including entries in the electoral rolls during the recent Special Summary Revision (SSR) conducted in January 2025.
The SSR process, which aims to ensure transparency in the voting process by adding eligible voters and removing duplicates, had only 89 appeals recorded in Maharashtra.
The sources stressed that, with over 13 million Booth Level Agents (BLAs) in the country, these figures indicate no irregularities, affirming that the electoral rolls published in January 2025 are undisputed.