Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday dubbed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi as a “serial liar” while rejecting the latter`s allegations of “vote theft” against the BJP, reported news agency PTI.
These “lies” of the opposition leaders are only meant to convince themselves, Fadnavis told reporters.
“I have said it earlier also that Rahul Gandhi is a serial liar. He has been spreading lies relentlessly. It pains me to see that even some leaders from Maharashtra have suddenly realised that Rahul Gandhi is speaking the truth,” he said, reported PTI.
Responding to Gandhi`s charge that votes were “stolen” by the BJP, CM Fadnavis said false information never has any foundation.
“A fort built on lies crashes. Unless they realise that to win the votes of people, one has to go to the people and earn their trust, their lies are only meant to convince themselves,” the senior BJP leader said, reported PTI.
Gandhi has alleged that votes were stolen in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Haryana, and that attempts were being made to “steal” votes of the people in Bihar, ahead of the upcoming assembly polls there, by the ruling BJP at the Centre in collusion with the Election Commission.
Some of the other opposition parties, including the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), have also raised the issue of “vote theft” and asked their party workers to check the electoral rolls to assess bogus voters, reported PTI.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has also said he had been talking about “vote theft” since 2016, and the Election Commission should have conducted a probe when both Rahul Gandhi and BJP leader Anurag Thakur alleged voter list fraud.
CM Fadnavis on Sunday said leaders alleging vote theft were doing so to provide solace to their workers for their defeat in polls instead of introspecting about their loss.
Meanwhile, amid speculation of an alliance between the Raj Thackeray-led MNS and his cousin Uddhav Thackeray`s Shiv Sena (UBT), both leaders have raised the issue of “vote theft” and asked their party workers to check the electoral rolls to assess bogus voters.
On Sunday, Uddhav Thackeray claimed 40-42 lakh voters were “infiltrated” in the electoral rolls after the Lok Sabha elections (last year). He asked his party workers to check the electoral rolls to assess bogus voters.
“Check whether there is vote theft in your ward. Check the voters` list and ensure that each person has only one vote,” he said.
On the day of polls, there is “bogus voting”, the former Maharashtra CM claimed, adding that at some places voting takes place twice, and even thrice, in the name of a single voter.
Speaking in Pune on Saturday, MNS president Raj Thackeray said he had been raising the issue of “vote theft” since 2016.
The Election Commission should have conducted a probe when both Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the BJP`s Anurag Thakur alleged voter list fraud, he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
