Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks following a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu concerning the ongoing Chief Election Commissioner row, accusing the opposition figure of attempting to drag the President into a political street fight amid allegations of vote manipulation.
Patra questioned why Gandhi and the accompanying opposition delegation failed to present concrete evidence of alleged electoral irregularities to the President during their meeting. He accused the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha of issuing misleading statements regarding the interaction, asserting that Gandhi demonstrated a lack of understanding regarding basic state protocols.
Patra stated that standard protocol dictates the President accepts a memorandum without turning the occasion into a political drama. The BJP spokesperson challenged the opposition's narrative by asking why leaders would request a presidential meeting without bringing supporting proof if they had been alleging irregularities for an extended period.
Furthermore, Patra alleged that Gandhi misrepresented the response of the President to the delegation's claims. He argued that Gandhi lacked the responsibility required for a high public office, following statements made by the Congress leader after the Rashtrapati Bhavan visit.
The exchange followed a meeting where a ten-member delegation from the India bloc, led by Gandhi, presented a memorandum to President Murmu outlining four primary demands, including the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Following the discussion, Gandhi claimed to be surprised that the President did not outwardly dismiss the opposition's allegations of electoral theft and stated that evidence of manipulation was widely recognized across multiple states.