“I am going to rip that strength to pieces. I am going to take it and shred it,” Rahul Gandhi infamously conveyed in reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s credibility during an India Today interview amid the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He further claimed that the lie would be successfully propagated due to his persistence.

While this statement might be a few years old, the Lok Sabha MP, his party and their entire ecosystem have continued to live by the same. The Congress-led I.N.D.I. Alliance and its supporters have left no stone unturned in their efforts to malign the prime minister and the present government despite numerous failures and criticisms.

In the unrelenting chase for power and the prolonged frustration over the inability to secure the Indian electorate’s favour, the opposition has resorted to vilifying the nation’s institutions including the Election Commission, branding them as anti-democratic and corrupt.

The comprehensive campaign against “vote chori (theft),” the assault on the essential Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive in Bihar, allegations of voter disenfranchisement and the ongoing demonization of the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner of India, Gyanesh Kumar, represent an extension of the same malicious agenda.

Nevertheless, akin to their established premise of shoot and scoot, the Gandhi scion and his allies have religiously refrained from providing their allegations in a sworn affidavit, despite repeated requests from the election authority. They want their assertions to be accepted as gospel truth by the nation, yet refuse to present any evidence to aid their critical accusations while orchestrating press conferences and public rallies to incite voters against the government and the election commission.

Yogendra Yadav Lifts the Lid on the Purpose of the Accusations

Currently, Congress advocate and full-time propagandist Yogendra (Salim) Yadav has stepped into the limelight and announced what was already evident, considering the dubious history of his political masters. In an interview with Arfa Khanum Sherwani from “The Wire,” recognized as another vital source of fabricated narratives and disinformation, he announced that the grand old party will not furnish any evidence in support of its accusations of vote chori.

The interaction that was released on 20th September on the official YouTube channel of the media outlet alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was directly involved in vote theft. During the discussion, Yogendra Yadav insisted that even BJP supporters have become doubtful and believe that the party is engaged in some unethical practices.

He then rejected the notion of taking legal action, stating that submitting affidavits or approaching courts is pointless. Yadav stressed that this situation revolves around public perception rather than factual evidence and Rahul Gandhi has effectively influenced public sentiment to his advantage. Additionally, he noted that anti-BJP and neutral voters have been viewing the ruling party with scepticism.

Yadav clearly outlined the rationale behind the lack of proof or submission, pointing out that the allegations were never about truth but designed to target the BJP and PM Modi with the aim to shift voter support to the opposition. Reaffirming his assertion of the saffron party’s purported participation in vote theft, he added that the latter’s supporters are suggesting that PM Modi is fine but something is not quite right.

Yadav announced that this subject has been addressed with Union Home Minister Amit Shah during party meetings and gatherings. However, just as Rahul Gandhi, he too avoided substantiating his claims with any proof.

Notably, the Congress ecosystem has stripped away its facade and much like the past instances of leveraging the country’s institutions to attack the central government headed by the BJP, this new set of allegations is no exception. Yadav stated that the BJP is directly committing “vote theft,” highlighting how the Congress and opposition have only utilized the electoral body to advance their political agenda without a second thought about the damage they inflicted on its reputation.

They evidently do not care about the harm caused to the nation or its foundational elements of democracy while pursuing their political objectives. It mirrors the manner in which the opposition has relentlessly attacked other institutions such as the judiciary, depicting it as an extension of the centre when judgements do not align with their interests.

Final Thoughts

After resounding failure of their efforts to remove PM Modi from Delhi and with no likelihood of a return in the foreseeable future, Congress and its supporters have concocted outrageous allegations in hopes of regaining power at the centre and “voti chori” is simply an expansion of their intentions to demean the country’s leader.

Rahul Gandhi and the opposition have started a political project against the Election Commission and the BJP through press conferences, presentations and political programs maintaining that significant voter fraud is occurring in the country. They charge that people are being added and removed from the voters list to benefit the BJP.

In a politically calculated move, the concerns were not raised within the 45-day period allotted to legally challenge the election outcome after the results were declared. Moreover, as anticipated, they have refused to submit the same under oath even now despite demands from the Election Commission, which took the matter seriously and aimed to ensure transparency.

Likewise, the falsehoods have been regularly busted by the Election Commission and other fact-checks, similar to how Rahul Gandhi was humiliated before the Supreme Court and forced to provide a written apology during the Rafale controversy. Nevertheless, since the truth has not deterred him or his supporters from their sinister goals, it is unlikely to do so now.