Rajnath Singh slams Rahul Gandhi over 'vote chori' allegations: 'Is it important to lie to have a successful political career?'

Rajnath Singh

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday took aim at Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of spreading misinformation with his “vote theft” allegations ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.

Speaking at an election rally in Dinara, Rohtas district, Singh dismissed Gandhi’s claims of voter fraud and urged him to approach the Election Commission formally if he genuinely believed votes were being manipulated.

“If Rahul Gandhi thinks that the votes of the people of Bihar are being stolen, why does he not file a written complaint with the Election Commission? I want to ask him can politics not be done by speaking the truth? Is it important to lie to have a successful political career?” Singh said.

Earlier this week, Rahul Gandhi had alleged “large-scale voter fraud” in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections, claiming that the Election Commission’s voter list included nearly 25 lakh fake names. He argued that such irregularities undermine democratic integrity.

Continuing his attack, Singh questioned Gandhi’s commitment to social justice, pointing out that the Congress leader did not offer the post of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition to any backward-class leader from his own party.

“If Rahul Gandhi is so worried about the backward classes and Dalits, why did he become the Leader of the Opposition himself? Why did he not give an opportunity to a backwards-class leader from his party? And then he advocates for social justice... NDA gives equal and adequate representation to all,” Singh remarked.

Taking on the opposition alliance, Singh said the Mahagathbandhan was making “impractical” promises to woo voters.

“These people want to become successful by lying to people. I want to ask RJD and Congress, how is it possible to give a government job to every household? Why would you promise something which is not practically possible?... All of you are educated and you know that under no circumstances can this be made possible... However, we will try to provide employment to all those who want it. This is our target... Farmers will be given Rs 9000 under the Kisaan Samman Nidhi when we form the government in Bihar,” he said.

He also lashed out at the Congress over Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s recent remarks, accusing the party of deepening social divides for political gain.

“I heard the Telangana CM say, ‘Congress matlab musalmaan, musalmaan matlab Congress’. I was beyond shocked to hear this. They have achieved political success by creating a divide between Hindus and Muslims. We will not do politics on caste, religion, and creed, and we don't care if we succeed or not. We will do politics only based on justice and humanity,” Singh asserted.

Bihar recorded a historic voter turnout of 65.08 per cent in the first phase of its assembly elections — the highest in the state’s electoral history. The second phase, covering 122 constituencies, is scheduled for November 11, with results to be declared on November 14.

(With ANI inputs)