Hyderabad: BJP Telangana president N. Ramchander Rao accused Congress of refusing to accept Modi’s third-term mandate on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state headquarters, Rao said voters had backed Narendra Modi for a third consecutive term. He alleged that Congress had failed to accept repeated electoral defeats.
Rao said Congress had lost elections in several States and three consecutive Lok Sabha polls. He alleged that the party’s leadership remained unwilling to accept the electorate’s preference for Modi.
The BJP state chief also accused Congress leaders of having a “monarchical” mindset. He alleged that they believed the Prime Minister’s post belonged exclusively to the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Rao criticised Congress for questioning changing electoral preferences and repeated mandates for Modi. He also objected to remarks attributed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge about elections conducted in the country.
Kharge had described elections as a farce and demanded their cancellation, according to Rao. The BJP leader said questioning the people’s mandate insulted voters and Indian democracy.
Rao also accused Rahul Gandhi and Prakash Raj of joining forces to undermine public confidence in constitutional institutions. He specifically referred to the Supreme Court, the President’s Office and the Election Commission of India.
Modi’s third-term mandate and SIR dispute
Turning to allegations surrounding the ongoing SIR process in Hyderabad, Rao rejected Congress’s claims. He said the process was being conducted by the State government machinery and involved Election Commission field inquiries.
Rao said submitting Form 7 did not automatically result in deletion of a voter’s name. According to him, the mechanism exists under electoral rules to identify fake and duplicate votes.
He also claimed that no BJP Booth Level Agents, including BLA-1 or BLA-2 representatives, had submitted such applications. Rao said raising an issue while inquiries remained pending was objectionable.
The BJP state chief further accused Congress of taking different positions on electoral systems. He alleged that Congress praised the SIR process when it won elections in States such as Kerala but criticised it after defeats.
Rao also referred to Congress’s criticism of EVMs after electoral losses. He alleged that the party blamed electoral mechanisms when results went against it.
The BJP leader said a “Congress-Mukt Bharat” had largely been achieved. He predicted that voters in the remaining two or three States would also reject Congress.
Rao said people would oppose what he described as attempts to undermine democratic institutions and criticise the Narendra Modi government. He added that the BJP would continue its political fight against such efforts.