"Bereft of basis": BJP's GVL Narasimha Rao shows data to debase Rahul Gandhi's vote theft charge

New Delhi [India], September 12 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Rajya Sabha MP GVL Narasimha Rao on Friday recoiled from the allegations of "vote theft" that were levelled by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, saying that the analysis of past election trends reveals that the claims made by the Congress leader were "bereft of basis".
Rao highlighted that the fall of Congress was not pertinent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's coming to power, but rather dates back to the time before 2014. He said that the Congress' decline started from 1989 and continued till 2014, when "Modi became the Prime Minister."
""Analysis of past election trends reveals that Rahul Gandhi's claims are bereft of basis. The fact is that the Congress party has been on a declining trajectory from its best ever performance in Lok Sabha elections in 1984 when Rajiv Gandhi won a landslide victory with 49.1% popular vote share and a tally of 404 out of 543 seats. After a slide in popular support over the next three decades, the Congress party's worst ever performance was registered in 2014 when it won just 44 out of 543 seats with a vote share of 19.5%." Rao said in an article.
Taking a swipe at the Congress, Rao asked whether Janata Dal Founder and former Prime Minister VP Singh should be considered as a "vote chor" since his party defeated Congress in the 1989 Lok Sabha elections. "Given his (VP Singh's) key role in bringing down the Congress party, does Rahul Gandhi consider VP Singh as 'Vote Chor Number 1'?"

Furthermore, the BJP leader listed several veterans (including Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, MK Stalin) of the opposition parties that are now in alliance with the Congress to essentially make a point that Congress has been defeated by these parties, with its vote share plummeting over the years, before PM Modi came to power.
"The Samajwadi party which uprooted the Congress party from Uttar Pradesh is its staunch ally today and Mayawati who projected the Congress as anti-Dalit became its ally in 1996 assembly polls. Would Rahul Gandhi explain as to why his party chose to align with the 'Vote Chor' parties in Uttar Pradesh and has not gathered courage to fight on its own?" Rao said.
Highlighting Congress' diminishing position in West Bengal since Jyoti Basu became the Chief Minister, the BJP leader said, "Would Rahul Gandhi gather courage to call Marxist Jyoti Basu and Mamta Banerjee as 'Vote Chor' in the campaign for West Bengal elections scheduled to be held next year?"
Rao said that PM Modi's coming to power was the "final nail in the coffin" that led to Congress' decline.
"It is high time the Congress party realises that fake narratives and 'shoot and scoot' politics may give it instant visibility and even appeal to rabid elements amongst its ranks but can neither erase nor alter historical facts," he added.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi reiterated his claims of providing "explosive" evidence of alleged vote theft in the previously held assembly elections.Speaking to reporters, Gandhi asserted that votes being stolen was a "fact".
"We are about to give you dynamic and explosive evidence. The slogan 'vote chor, gaddi chor' is being echoed across the country. The fire is spreading since it is the truth. It is a fact that governments are being formed by stealing votes. We guarantee that we will be providing you with the proofs," he added.
Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference on August 7, levelled serious allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of direct involvement in large-scale voter fraud, with the Congress having "open-and-shut proof" of the alleged theft. (ANI)