New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday lashed out at the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who had asserted that he would continue the "fight to restore democracy" in the country, saying that his Congress has been losing polls ever since he assumed the party's leadership.
Earlier in the day, the LoP hosted a tea party for INDIA bloc and civil society leaders, where they vowed to stay united in their fight against the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the NDA government over alleged electoral malpractices in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise as well as "vote theft".
Speaking to reporters, Amit Shah expressed gratitude to the people for the BJP's victory in Gujarat civic polls and also for the party winning the recently concluded bypolls.
"I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that even after 41 years, the Congress has not been able to win elections in Gujarat. They won the last election in the state in 1985 and have been losing since then. I want to ask him whether this is the result of the SIR? You refute the popularity of the BJP and of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and call it the result of SIR. You should rather introspect," he said.
"A territory which the Congress had always ruled, you have not been able to win any election in the past 41 years. This is a big issue that requires the party to do self-introspection."
Referring to the results of the bypolls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, HM Shah said: "Congress has not won any seats in these elections. Rather, the BJP has snatched the seat from Congress in Nagaon."
In Rajasthan too, the BJP gained a massive victory in the local body polls, he stated.
"These elections are a lesson for Rahul Gandhi," he remarked.
Referring to the Tripura Gram Samiti elections, Amit Shah said: "I also want to tell Rahul Gandhi that in Tripura, with 77.5 per cent polling, the NDA has been able to win more than 4,000 seats and among the 4,600 seats, the Congress has won only 14."
Further referring to the Opposition's allegations against the EVMs, he said: "These elections were held using ballot papers. So, the allegations that EVMs help the BJP to win elections are hence proved wrong."
The Home Minister noted that for the past 33 years, Congress has been unable to win elections in Tripura and that the party has not won in West Bengal for 54 years.
"Congress has remained out of power for three to five decades in Bengal, Tripura, and Gujarat. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi whether this is the result of SIR because that process was started after 2024," he said.
Sharpening his attack on Gandhi, HM Shah said: "Since the time you emerged as a prominent leader of the Congress, and later on as the party President and LoP, the party has been continuously losing polls. Therefore, you should introspect."
Referring to the LoP's 'Chhtron ki Goonj' events, he said: "By doing fabricated media events like 'Jhoot ki Goonj', you cannot win the trust of the citizens."
The Home Minister also spoke about the INDIA bloc's protests in the last few days, saying: "By gathering the cadres of 14 parties and gathering 8000 people within a radius of 1.5 km, you cannot become the voice of the nation."
"The voice of the country also exists in the villages, farms, mountains, forests, and even near rivers. You (Congress) don't have any reach there. There are many states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu where Congress has been defeated by the people for decades," he said.
Shah asserted that the "negative politics" that the Congress is indulging in won't benefit the party. "They should instead understand the people and connect with them," he advised.
"I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that his strategy to protect infiltrators through the SIR has been very well understood by the people, and they will now not fall into your trap. Also, I want to tell Rahul Gandhi to prepare himself for losing in the 2029 (Lok Sabha) polls," he stated.
Expressing confidence, Amit Shah asserted that the NDA will gain a landslide victory in the 2029 general elections and Congress will again lose for the fourth straight time.
