NEW DELHI: The political temperature in the country rose sharply on Sunday after the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued an ultimatum to the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over his "vote chori" remarks.
The ECI directed LoP Gandhi to either submit an affidavit with evidence supporting his allegations within seven days or issue a public apology. The Commission said that in the absence of an affidavit, all such accusations would be treated as false.
The ruling BJP welcomed the ECI's move, pressing LoP Gandhi to comply, while the INDIA Bloc accused the poll body of acting as a "political weapon" to silence dissent.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh lashed out at the Congress MP, saying, "The Election Commission had clearly said they must file an affidavit within seven days, otherwise he (LoP Gandhi) should apologise to the people. I want to ask, today is August 18, till now, how many names has he found to be wrong and submitted to the Election Commission? Spreading confusion will not help."
Speaking to IANS, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya professed, "Rahul Gandhi has been spreading chaos and questioning constitutional institutions. Every process has a proper procedure; if a political party has objections to the voter list publication and revision, it can raise them officially."
"However, Rahul Gandhi is firing blindly, spreading rumours in the country, " he claimed and added, "His conduct is neither democratic nor constitutional and is completely irresponsible. For someone in the responsible position of Leader of the Opposition, such actions are disgraceful."
Madhya Pradesh Minister Vishvas Sarang also slammed the LoP, telling IANS, "Rahul Gandhi, without any factual basis, makes such baseless statements for media and photo opportunities to mislead the public. When allegations are made against institutions like the Election Commission, one must provide facts and an affidavit; this is the rule."
Backing the ECI, Uttar Pradesh Minister Anil Rajbhar said the poll body had already clarified all the questions raised by the Opposition.
"I think the Election Commission held an exceptionally long press conference yesterday, something that has never happened before. They answered every question and clarified every issue, " he said.