‘EC is compromised,’ says Rahul Gandhi in Boston; BJP says India insulted on foreign soil

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, reiterated his reservations about the Election Commission of India and blamed them for allegedly not providing the correct data during Maharashtra Elections. Bharatiya Janata Party slammed Gandhi for bringing disrepute to the country in foreign soil. Gandhi made his remarks while interacting with the Indian diaspora in Boston. 

"It is very clear to us that the Election Commission is compromised, and it is very clear that there is something wrong with the system. I have said this multiple times...More people voted in the Maharashtra Assembly elections than there are adults in Maharashtra,” said Gandhi.

He claimed that the EC’s data showed that 65 lakh voters cast their votes between 5:30-7:30 pm. “This is physically impossible,” he said. “For a voter to vote, it takes approximately 3 minutes, and if you do the Math, it would mean that there were lines of voters till 2 am,” he said, adding that the Congress party asked for video proof of the voting process, which was denied to them, and the law was changed to ensure no one was allowed access to the videos. 

BJP MP Sambit Patra, responding to the allegations against the EC, said that Rahul Gandhi did what he has been doing for years – going to a foreign country and insulting India. He said it was an old habit of the Congress MP.

"I have been watching the media since the morning. There are two important news items, one is Rahul Gandhi's old habit of insulting the country on foreign soil. He has insulted India in the US. This is not a new thing. He has been doing this for a long time," Patra said.

Patra added that the Gandhi family thinks by insulting the country on foreign soil, they are on the right side of history but they are, in reality, on the wrong side of the line. 

"The person, and his mother (Sonia Gandhi), who are out on bail of Rs 50,000, if they feel they can destroy the image of this great democracy by going abroad and speaking there then they are totally on the wrong side of the line,” he said. 

The EC had also previously denied the allegations about manipulating the electoral rolls were unfounded.