Rahul Gandhi breaks silence on polls, accuses BJP of stealing mandate

Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of stealing the mandate that gave Congress the upper hand in Goa and Manipur

Rahul Gandhi who had so far remained mum on Congress' performance in the five state polls finally broke his silence in the parliament complex on Tuesday. Refusing to take any responsibility for the humiliating defeat in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the party had won in Punjab, Manipur and Goa but the BJP had stolen the mandate with money and muscle power.

"Our fight with the BJP is an ideological one. What they have done in Manipur and Goa is the ideology that we fight against. We have won the election in Punjab, Goa and Manipur and it is not a bad result. BJP won Uttar Pradesh because of polarisation," Rahul Gandhi said when asked about the humiliating defeat that the Congress witnessed in Uttar Pradesh.

While he acknowledged that the Congress needs a structural revamp, Rahul Gandhi refused to accept that there was a delay on part of the party to consolidate support in Manipur and Goa. "As far as congress party is concerned we have to make structural and organisational changes and that is a fact. The question is not if there was a delay but how much money the BJP has spent to steal the mandate in Goa and Manipur," the AICC Vice president said. His statements came minutes after the Supreme Court refused to stay Manohar Parrikar's swearing-in ceremony in Goa and ordered for a floor test to prove majority.

Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress party may have slipped somewhere but the BJP was undermining democracy by using money.

OneIndia News