Rahul Gandhi is maligning country’s image by targeting constitutional institutions: BJP

The BJP on Wednesday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his claims of anomalies in India’s electoral system, accusing him of “maligning” the country’s constitutional institutions.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala slammed the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi for “painting a poor picture of India’s robust electoral system” before foreign publications.

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Poonawala also questioned Gandhi’s conduct and integrity as the leader of the Opposition (LoP).

Earlier, speaking to Financial Times, a UK-based newspaper, Rahul Gandhi said, “India’s democracy was under siege from systematic vote-rigging and the Congress party’s strategy was to challenge the integrity of India’s electoral system by building public pressure”. “We are playing the game of mass mobilisation. That’s the only way we have,” the Congress MP told the foreign daily.

Refuting the charges, the BJP spokesperson, accusing the Congress of fanning propaganda without proof, said, “Rahul’s problem is not ECI but it’s EMI — which stands for entitled mindset to Indira’s grandson.”

He claimed that Gandhi was acting more like a “Leader of Propaganda” rather than the LoP, and also questioned the party’s “hit and run strategy” of throwing allegations without any proof.

The BJP leader also questioned the Congress party’s rationale in questioning EC’s integrity and also listed multiple instances where Gandhi levelled false allegations against the country’s constitutional bodies and institutions, sans proof. “In March ’25, Gandhi said we are fighting the Indian state, on March ’23, he, while being on foreign soil, asked, Why is Europe oblivious to how a huge chunk of democracy in India has come undone? On September 24, he claimed that Sikhs are not free to wear kada and turbans in India,” Poonawala said.

He also cited Gandhi’s “baseless” claims that the Indian armed forces are “beaten up” in Arunachal Pradesh, to which the courts took strong objection and also advised him to exercise restraint.