Anurag Thakur Hits Back At Rahul Gandhi
'No Votes Were Stolen; The Public Simply Stopped Voting For The Congress...'
BJP MP and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur has accused the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi of spreading confusion across the country regarding the issue of ‘vote theft’ and targeting constitutional institutions. He stated that no votes were stolen; rather, the public has simply stopped voting for the Congress.
The Congress party has been shifting the blame for its electoral defeats onto various entities sometimes the EVMs, sometimes the Election Commission, and at other times, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Meanwhile, Chandigarh BJP President Jitender Pal Malhotra also targeted the Congress, remarking that no votes were stolen; instead, those who act like ‘thieves’ have simply stopped receiving votes. The public has delivered its verdict through the ballot, yet the Congress is unable to accept this outcome. These remarks were made during a press conference held at the BJP office, ‘Kamalam’.
Questioning Rahul Gandhi’s claim that the votes of 130 million (13 crore) people were deleted, Anurag Thakur challenged the Congress to make the names and evidence regarding these voters public. He noted that while Rahul Gandhi had promised to provide proof back in November of last year, no concrete evidence has surfaced to date. He remarked that if the votes of 130 million people had truly been deleted, it would have caused a massive uproar across the nation. He added that the Congress party’s own booth-level agents should also be able to provide information about such voters.
Thakur explained that the revision of electoral rolls is a routine, ongoing process. During the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the rolls are scrutinized to remove the names of deceased individuals, duplicate entries, people who cannot be traced, and those who have permanently relocated. He claimed that this process identified approximately 28 million (2.8 crore) deceased individuals, 10 million (1 crore) duplicate entries, 30 million (3 crore) untraceable individuals, and about 63 million (6.3 crore) voters who had relocated.
He further emphasized that the SIR is not a new procedure. It has been conducted 12 times since 1952, with 10 of those instances occurring during the tenures of Congress-led governments. If this same procedure was considered correct during the Congress regime, why are questions being raised about it now? Citing a statement by the Chief Minister of Karnataka, he noted that in that state too, the provision of benefits under government schemes has been linked to registration in the ‘SIR’ (State/Systematic Information Register).
Targeting Congress Over EVMs And The Election Commission
Anurag Thakur remarked that the Congress party first questioned the EVMs, then demanded VVPATs, and is now targeting the Election Commission. He observed that after every electoral defeat, the Congress suddenly finds flaws in the election process. Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, he said that while Gandhi frequently questions the Election Commission, election officials, or the electoral process itself, he ought to be reflecting on the reasons behind his own party’s defeats.
He also took aim at the Gandhi family, pointing to the court-ordered annulment of Indira Gandhi’s election, allegations of booth capturing during the Rajiv Gandhi era, and the frequent invocation of Article 356 during Congress rule. Citing the tenures of former Chief Election Commissioners like T.N. Seshan, M.S. Gill, Rama Devi, and Navin Chawla, he alleged that political influence was exerted over appointments to the Election Commission during the Congress regime.
Taking A Dig At Rallies And Electoral Defeats
Commenting on Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Delhi, Thakur noted that although there were claims of gathering a million (ten lakh) people, the Ramlila Maidan remained half-empty. Addressing the Congress party’s electoral performance, he pointed out that the party faced defeat in four out of the five states that went to the polls, managing to form a government only in Kerala. He posed a question: if Rahul Gandhi truly believes the election process is flawed, should the Chief Minister of Kerala and other elected Congress representatives not resign as well?
He alleged that Rahul Gandhi and opposition parties are attempting to create an atmosphere of chaos in the country by questioning the Election Commission and other constitutional institutions. Citing allegations that the Congress party received donations from China, Thakur also took a dig at the party by referencing Confucius.
Anurag Thakur stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has made progress between 2012 and 2026 across various sectors, including infrastructure, technology, manufacturing, space, and power. In a democracy, it is the public that decides which government comes to power, and parties that lose elections must accept the people’s verdict.
