Rajnath Singh Rebuts Congress Allegations on Election Commission

Singh specifically highlighted the 1993 expansion of the Election Commission, where two new commissioners were appointed overnight, as a tactical move to consolidate control. He referenced a letter from former Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami, who had recommended the removal of Naveen Chawla, alleging the commissioner leaked sensitive poll data to Congress leadership. Despite these accusations, Singh noted that the party shielded Chawla and eventually elevated him to Chief Election Commissioner due to his proximity to the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Addressing Rahul Gandhi’s claims of vote theft, Singh argued that Congress electoral struggles are rooted in performance failures rather than procedural irregularities. He pointed out that since the introduction of voter identity cards, the party has failed to secure a parliamentary majority. Singh dismissed Gandhi’s recent allegations as a metaphorical "hydrogen bomb" that failed to even match the impact of a "Diwali firecracker." The minister framed these critiques as a continuation of a pattern of institutional erosion, citing the 1975 Emergency, the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, and the 1990 treatment of kar sevaks as evidence of the party’s historical disregard for constitutional values.