‘When you can’t convince people…’: Devendra Fadnavis gives ‘article for an article’ reply after Rahul Gandhi’s ‘match fixing’ allegations

Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has responded to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's "match fixing" allegations related to the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. His response has come one day after he said that he would respond to the article "with an article".

Fadnavis said, "one whom the public rejects, rejects the mandate". The Chief Minister, in his response, said, "If you cannot convince people, then confuse them. This is the policy that Rahul Gandhi is adopting."

Gandhi, in his op-ed piece in The Indian Express, had questioned the way the Maharashtra Assembly Elections were conducted. Fadnavis' reply came in a Marathi daily on Sunday.

He said that since the people of India have rejected the Congress, the party leader is now trying to tarnish the image of democracy by blaming the Electronic Voting Machines. "It has now become a habit for the opposition parties to raise questions on the EVM in every election in Maharashtra. All petitions against the EVM have been dismissed by the Supreme Court," Fadnavis wrote in his response to Rahul Gandhi. He also said that Gandhi is a leader who cannot accept failure.

He further asked, "Are EVMs right in the elections in which the Congress government wins?" "Respect the mandate. The public is watching everyone. Now, excuses will not work, and the accountability will be fixed," Fadnavis said.

Rahul Gandhi had alleged unfair elections in Maharashtra through his op-ed. "Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission, Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll, Step 3: Inflate voter turnout, Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where BJP needs to win, Step 5: Hide the evidence," his article read.