When a child fails in an exam, he either accepts his mistakes and learns from them, or he starts blaming the question paper, the teacher, or even the pen. Sadly, Rahul Gandhi has chosen the latter approach as his political philosophy, turning his electoral failures into full-blown institutional blame games. Having presided over the Congress party’s staggering decline with over 90 electoral defeats, the Gandhi scion has never paused for introspection. His preferred coping mechanism is to question the integrity of India’s democratic institutions. First it was the EVMs; now, with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise underway in Bihar, the target is the Election Commission of India (ECI). The pattern is all too familiar. When the Congress wins elections, like it did in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, or Telangana, the EVMs are flawless. But when it suffers crushing defeats, the same machines suddenly become suspicious.
These charges of electoral manipulation come with selective amnesia. Even his own IND Alliance partner, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, criticised this hypocrisy, stating: “EVMs can’t be the problem only when you lose elections.” This one line exposes the shallow convenience with which the Congress shifts the goalposts to suit its narrative.
Now, that the EVM narrative has collapsed under the weight of facts, the Congress leader has turned his ire towards the Election Commission. Ironically, the target of his new outburst, the SIR exercise, is not only legitimate, but was designed to strengthen the integrity of voter rolls, something all political parties should welcome. His recent press conference raised alarm over “mass deletion and addition of voters” in Bihar and Maharashtra. But this is precisely what SIR is supposed to do — identify, investigate, and remove invalid or duplicate entries, ensuring a clean electoral roll. The ECI has made the process transparent, consultative, and data-driven. The SIR audit is conducted with the help of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), field verification, and cooperation from all stakeholders. Yet, Gandhi seems confused and uncertain whether he supports the cleaning up of electoral rolls or wants to halt the process altogether. His contradiction was glaring: he ended up endorsing the SIR process while attacking it in the same breath. This is typical of his ideological confusion and policy immaturity.
Let’s examine the numbers and claims made by the Congress MP and his team.
He claimed voter roll changes in Bihar and Maharashtra are abnormal. The reality is that in Maharashtra, the voter list grew by 3.7 per cent in 2024, consistent with national averages and similar trends under Congress-led governments in the past. For instance, under the UPA (2008-2012), the average annual growth in voter rolls was 4.1 per cent. He further questioned why the BJP was not facing anti-incumbency and insinuated that it must be rigging elections. Again, the logic is flawed. The Congress won national elections consecutively from 1952 to 1977, 1980-89, 2004-2014-did the BJP then allege that Congress won due to voter fraud? Public mandates are not governed by one person’s whims.
The Congress leader then argued that only BJP strongholds show suspicious voter additions. This too is misleading. Duplicate votes were found even in Rae Bareli and Wayanad, both strongholds of the Gandhi family. The problem, when it existed, was systemic, not partisan. But Gandhi has a selective lens.
Perhaps the most damning revelation is that the Congress MP refused to file a formal complaint under oath to the Election Commission. Under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and Section 227 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, giving false evidence or making a false declaration under oath is a punishable offence that may result in imprisonment. These provisions exist to ensure that democratic allegations are not reduced to casual slander. This legal obligation makes his evasion more telling. The answer is clear — he knows that making false or frivolous accusations under oath is a crime. Having been reprimanded multiple times by the Supreme Court for his slander, incorrect and immature statements, he now fears being legally cornered.
In reality, the Congress leader’s most bitter pill and root cause of frustration is that India is not buying what the Congress is selling. The narrative of defeat is not due to manipulation, but due to misalignment with the aspirations of New India.
Today’s youth want growth, national pride, security, and technological progress. In contrast, the Congress party has aligned itself with anti-national voices, questioned the valour of the Indian Army, and associated with radical elements that vilify India’s cultural and spiritual ethos. This is not just a political disconnect-it’s a civilisational chasm.
While Gandhi indulges in conspiracies and courtroom escapism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen to win the hearts of India’s voters through relentless hard work and delivery on promises. Modi Ji’s leadership has elevated India to the status of the fourth-largest economy in the world, driven by structural reforms and a clear vision for a self-reliant future. Initiatives like Atmanirbhar Bharat, the Jal Jeevan Mission, housing for four crore poor families, and debt relief schemes for farmers and small borrowers reflect a governance model rooted in compassion, accountability, and scale. BJP’s electoral victories are not built on conspiracies or manufactured grievances — they are built on understanding the heartbeat of ambitious, aspirational India. While others blame EVMs and voter lists, Modi connects with the people, listening, delivering, and transforming lives at the grassroots. This is the difference between a party that leads and a party that laments. The Modi Government believes in reforming the system, not ridiculing it when it doesn’t deliver personal victories.
The SIR exercise is a testament to the Election Commission’s commitment to fair elections. But the Congress MP, unable to digest repeated rejection by voters, has chosen to undermine the very institutions that protect democracy. His allegations are not built on facts, but on frustration. His strategy is not reform, but deflection. And his party is not rising from the ashes — it’s disappearing into irrelevance. Mr Rahul Gandhi needs to be told that “Democracy doesn’t fail when you lose; it fails when you refuse to accept that you lost.” India deserves better than these blame games, and the Constitutional Institutions deserve more respect than one man’s tantrums.
(The writer is Supreme Court Lawyer and National Spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party)