New Delhi, Nov 14: Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that democracy in India was destroyed in 2014, accusing the BJP-led government of compromising electoral and democratic institutions to retain power. Addressing an event in Hyderabad, Rahul Gandhi questioned the legitimacy of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, claiming that 140 million voters who participated in the polls had subsequently been declared non-existent or non-voters.
“If the Election Commission has declared 140 million voters illegal non-voters, then how is that election possibly legitimate?” he asked, according to The Week. Citing Maharashtra, Rahul Gandhi alleged that seven million new voters were added to the electoral rolls within three months and all of them voted for the BJP, helping the party win the Assembly elections despite his alliance securing a similar vote share in the Lok Sabha polls.
He alleged that India’s electoral system underwent a fundamental change in 2014 with the infusion of huge amounts of money into politics. “We discovered it, and we have proven it without any doubt is that democracy was destroyed in India in 2014,” he said aas reported by regional media.
Rahul Gandhi also alleged a nexus between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani, claiming that the distinction between business and politics had disappeared. He further claimed that the BJP’s assets had grown elevenfold in a decade and accused the ruling party of weakening institutions and denying the Opposition a level playing field.
