Ashoka Rebukes Rahul Gandhi Over Election Commission Protests

Ashoka, speaking at a Seva Jyoti Yatra event, dismissed the Congress party's narrative that the Election Commission is only flawed when the party faces defeat. He pointed to the party’s own electoral success in Karnataka as proof of their inconsistency, suggesting that if the electoral process were truly compromised, Congress leaders would be obligated to resign. He further accused Rahul Gandhi of undermining independent institutions, including the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI, whenever investigations touch upon the party’s interests.

Beyond institutional disputes, Ashoka criticized Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over a viral video in which the minister allegedly demanded service from Veerashaiva Lingayat swamijis. Ashoka challenged the minister to apologize to the religious leaders rather than blaming the media for reporting the incident. He questioned whether Shivakumar would dare use similar language when addressing Muslim maulvis, accusing the Congress leader of performative Hinduism. The BJP leader concluded by framing the ongoing Seva Jyoti Yatra as a tribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years in public life, crediting him with elevating India’s global standing.