Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], November 2 (ANI): BJP MP and national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi on Monday launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of spreading a false narrative about electoral processes and saying the Congress party had become the "greatest challenge" to India's democracy.
Trivedi said the Opposition was unhappy with India's progress and the growing sense of national self-pride under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Citing the Congress party's electoral performance in several states, the BJP spokesperson said it had been out of power in Odisha for 25 years, Gujarat since 1995, and Uttar Pradesh and Bihar since 1990.
Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar, Trivedi said, "Yet, the current conduct of the opposition suggests that they are not pleased with this progress or this growing sense of national self-pride. At present, the Congress Party, along with the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, has become the greatest challenge to India’s democracy. Rahul Gandhi has attempted to spread a false narrative, claiming that 'anti-incumbency' is at play and that his party is failing to return to power. I would like to remind him: Rahul, you are merely fostering chaos—but what do the hard, objective facts actually say? For the past twenty-five years, there has not been a single Congress Chief Minister in Odisha. You have been absent from Gujarat since 1995. You have been absent from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar since 1990. That accounts for 120 seats."
Trivedi questioned the Congress party's Booth Level Agents (BLAs) over their role in monitoring the addition and deletion of names from electoral rolls.
“Rahul Gandhi, even before you entered the political arena, your party was not in a position to win even 10 seats across states that account for 230 Lok Sabha constituencies. How, then, did you expect to secure 272 seats out of the remaining 300? This is the reality, and that is precisely why these people...Government employees are appointed to handle the addition or removal of names from the electoral rolls, acting on behalf of the Election Commission. They are known as BLOs (Booth Level Officers). To monitor the process of adding or removing names, political parties appoint their own representatives, known as BLAs (Booth Level Agents). Across the country, there are 1.2 million (12 lakh) BLOs appointed by the Election Commission, and 2.2 million (22 lakh) BLAs appointed by the various political parties. So, I must ask: were the Congress Party’s BLAs asleep or under the influence of intoxicants?” he said.
“They signed off on these lists or, if they didn’t sign, did they raise any objections?... This indicates that the reality is quite different; the intent is to create confusion and stir up problems for the constitutional institutions within India’s democracy. Furthermore, consider what the leaders of those who are attempting to propagate this narrative are saying themselves. They are in power in Keralam, and their home Minister, Ramesh Chennithala, has stated that they have actually benefited from the SIR,” Trivedi said.
A day earlier, the INDIA bloc held a mega rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, with top Opposition leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, attending the rally.
Further, he said India was moving forward despite adverse global circumstances under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the country's economic growth, poverty reduction and progress in emerging technologies.
He said India was emerging as the fastest-growing economy among the world's major economies and cited a World Bank report to highlight the country's progress in poverty reduction over the past 12-13 years.
"You all know that the entire world is currently going through a period of turmoil. But under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India, with the BJP and NDA government, is moving forward in the best possible position despite these adverse circumstances. We are emerging as the fastest-growing economy among the world's major economies. Just the day before yesterday, the World Bank, in its 2025 report, praised India, saying the Indian government has achieved tremendous success in bringing people out of poverty over the past 12-13 years," he said.
Citing figures from the report, Trivedi said the percentage of people living below the extreme poverty line had declined from 27 per cent in 2011-12 to 2.6 per cent.
"The World Bank has said that where 27 per cent of people were below the extreme poverty line in 2011-12, now only 2.6 per cent remain. Where 57 per cent of people were earning below 4.2 dollars a day, or around Rs 400-425 per day at today's rates, in 2011-12, today only 16 per cent are below that level," he said.
"India is moving forward in the field of AI, defence production and new technologies, and at the same time, it is making progress in both internal and external security. Many forces do not like this. There are forces within India as well as outside India," he further said. (ANI)
“Rahul Gandhi fostering chaos”: Sudhanshu Trivedi accuses Congress of spreading false narrative over SIR
