Election Commission row: Kishan Reddy slams Congress over EVM allegations

Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy accused the Congress party of hypocrisy and double standards, saying it praises the Election Commission when winning but blames EVMs and institutions when losing. He dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of vote theft, defended constitutional bodies, and reminded Congress of its record during the Emergency.

Hyderabad: Claiming credit when winning elections but blaming EVMs and the Election Commission when losing is proof of the Congress party’s low-level politics and double standards, said Union Minister for Coal and Mines, G. Kishan Reddy.

He rubbished the allegation by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that the BJP is stealing the votes and remarked that the BJP never steals votes, but it wins the hearts of the people.

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Addressing a press conference, Kishan Reddy slammed the Congress party for failing to change its attitude despite being rejected by people.

The BJP leader strongly condemned what he called the baseless allegations levelled by Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party against the Election Commission and constitutional institutions.

“See the hypocrisy of the Congress party. In states like Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana where they came to power, the Election Commission is deemed to have functioned excellently. They also praised the Election Commission for removing bogus votes in states like Kerala. But they blame EVMs and the Election Commission whenever the BJP wins,” he said.

The Central minister remarked that it is not the Election Commission’s responsibility to ensure the Congress party’s victory, nor the duty of EVMs to make Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister.

On reports regarding differences among the members of the Election Commission, Kishan Reddy said it was natural for Election Commissioners to exchange letters and hold internal discussions. “Yesterday, the three Election Commissioners met personally and clarified that there were no differences among them; with that, the matter was put to rest. There is no need for the opposition to create an unnecessary controversy over this,” he said.

On SIR, he said the process is being conducted under the orders and supervision of the Supreme Court. “Refining the voter list by removing the names of the deceased, duplicate entries, and erroneous details is a constitutional process. The fact that the Congress party considers this process acceptable when they win in states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, yet criticises it in West Bengal and other states, is a clear example of their double standards.”

He asserted that the Congress has absolutely no moral right to speak about the Constitution. He challenged them, pointing out their history of imposing the Emergency in 1975, suppressing press freedom, trampling on civil rights, imprisoning opposition leaders, and presiding over a dark era of authoritarian rule.

Kishan Reddy claimed that in 2009 they recommended to the President to remove Election Commissioners simply because they were not complying with their wishes. He remarked that it is laughable for such people to speak about democracy.

He lashed out at the Congress party, accusing them of aiming to undermine the constitutional and security institutions that work for the nation’s interests. “Rahul Gandhi has not spared a single institution. He is spreading malicious propaganda by casting aspersions on the Army Chief, the Air Force, the surgical strikes, NSA Ajit Doval, the Lok Sabha Speaker, the CJI, the ED, the CBI, the Intelligence Bureau, and media houses—and ultimately, even on institutions like Parliament and the GST system.”