Mumbai, Sep 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) Reacting sharply to Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks regarding alleged vote rigging in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday alleged that Gandhi's policy is to "repeat lies aggressively."
Speaking at the Infra conclave organised by Marathi TV channel, he addressed LoP Gandhi's accusations made via a detailed social media post and his recent speeches, including an interaction at the 'Chhatro Ki Gunj' event in Pune.
Responding to LoP Gandhi's criticisms of the state government, CM Fadnavis emphasised the need to stick to factual data. "If someone comes to Maharashtra and spreads falsehoods, I will certainly respond. Public discourse should be based on facts and figures. But repeating lies forcefully seems to be his policy," he said.
He further claimed that today's generation actively fact-checks public assertions. "It is surprising that a senior leader feels no hesitation in speaking falsehoods even after being exposed. However, the new generation conducts fact-checks. A young participant at the 'Chhatro Ki Gunj' event posted online that out of the 40 points raised by Rahul Gandhi, 29 were factually incorrect. If fake narratives are peddled, they will be countered directly with true narratives," he added.
Addressing questions regarding youth anger and recent student protests, CM Fadnavis dismissed claims that the government had underestimated public sentiment, while alleging a coordinated strategy behind the unrest.
Referring to groups involved in the demonstrations, CM Fadnavis remarked on the role of civil society coalitions, including those referred to as Cockroach Janata Party (CJP).
"Do not view CJP in isolation. Prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress executed an experiment by bringing together Left-leaning and extreme-Left ideologies to set a specific narrative," CM Fadnavis claimed.
"Because the Congress carries significant political baggage, its credibility is low. To capture the Opposition space, they organised around 180 organisations with 'zero baggage' during the 'Bharat Jodo' initiative, which yielded them some results," he claimed.
CM Fadnavis stated that these networks were attempting to recreate a similar atmosphere.
"This is not limited to just a few youths; initially, the response was minimal. Now, these 180 organisations have re-aligned to build a faceless mechanism and set a new narrative similar to 2024. We are aware of this strategy and will counter it appropriately," CM Fadnavis alleged.
The CM's statement comes after LoP Gandhi, on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing them of systematic voter list manipulation to subvert democracy.
Pointing to the latest Special Intensive Revision (SIR) draft data in Maharashtra, LoP Gandhi highlighted that a staggering 2.07 crore voters — accounting for nearly one in every five registered voters in the state — have been excluded from the draft rolls.
Citing severe discrepancies in Maharashtra’s official electoral statistics over successive revisions, LoP Gandhi questioned the transparency and accuracy of the official data, asking, "Which list was correct?"
In a detailed statement shared on social media platform X, the Congress leader laid out a stark breakdown of the fluctuating voter numbers in Maharashtra: 2024 Lok Sabha Elections: 9.29 crore voters, 2024 Assembly Elections: 9.70 crore voters and 2026 Special Intensive Revision (SIR): 7.78 crore voters.
LoP Gandhi alleged that the tactics of the ruling BJP and what he termed the "Vote Theft Commission" continue to evolve with a single objective: Securing a BJP victory at any cost and undermining Indian democracy.
"For a government formed through vote theft, the public does not matter — which is why this BJP neither listens to the people nor respects their mandate," LoP Gandhi stated, adding that a government born out of voter manipulation remains entirely unaccountable to citizens.
Source: IANS
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