New Delhi [India], September 10 : With opposition's candidate in Vice Presidential polls B Sudershan Reddy getting less than expected votes, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Puri on Wednesday hit out the Congress and other opposition parties over their repeated "vote chori" allegations against the BJP and Election Commission and said they have "mastered the art of shoot and scoot politics".
He also hit at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has repeatedly made "vote chori" allegations and said effort is being made to "whip up hysteria based on fake data".
NDA nominee in Vice Presidential polls, CP Radhakrishnan, was elected as the 15th Vice President of India on Tuesday. He secured 452 first preference votes. Justice (Retd) B Sudershan Reddy received 300 votes, while 15 votes were declared invalid. Voting for Vice Presidential polls is held through paper ballot.
Puri said that in an election based on paper ballot, opposition leaders are unable to explain why nearly 35 of their MP's voted for the NDA candidate.
He also took "Balak Budhi" jibe at Rahul Gandhi without taking his name.
"It pains me to see that, driven by an inexplicable desire to run down India and our robust democratic system, politicians of a particular thinking and ideology, including those deeply influenced by the Balak Buddhi, hover on the brink of a different kind of mental state," he said a post on X.
"One that compels them to eschew logic, utter falsehoods, and cast doubts about India's electoral system. One day they are proponents of paper ballot, on another when they lose an election based on paper ballot they are not able to explain how despite a paper ballot nearly 35 of their MP's voted for the NDA candidate in the vice-president election. They have mastered the art of shoot & scoot politics," he added.
Puri said allegations of opposition parties "usually sans facts and are based on false data; and always come crumbling down at the first scrutiny".
"Their modus operandi is clear - lose elections due to their incompetence and past linkages with corruption and scams, create imaginary reasons for the loss, never lodge official complaints despite being asked to do so by the ECI, refuse to submit proof backed by a declaration and eventually try to whip up hysteria based on their fake data. Every point they have raised about an imaginary 'vote chori' and electoral data has turned out to be a figment of their imagination," he said.
"The data they have been quoting has turned out to be wrong. Their lie on new voter addition in Maharashtra was exposed where more voters were added in 2004 & 2009 when UPA won, than in 2024. Or, look at Wayanad which had 93,499 doubtful voters including 20,438 duplicate voters, or Rae Bareli with a whopping 2,00,089 doubtful voters including 19,512 duplicate voters or 71,977 with fake addresses," he added.
Rahul Gandhi had on August 7 addressed a press conference in New Delhi in which he presented Congress' research on voting in the Mahadevapura Assembly in Karnataka, a part of the Bangalore Central parliamentary constituency. He alleged "vote chori" (vote theft) of 1,00,250 votes, including "duplicate voters, invalid addresses, and bulk registrations of votes" at single locations.
The Election Commission had said that Rahul Gandhi should make his allegations in an affidavit or issue an apology.
Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also held 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in poll-bound Bihar opposing the manner in which Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls was being carried out and over their "vote chori" allegations.
The Congress leader continued to level "vote chori" allegations against the BJP and EC during his visit on Wednesday to Raebareli, the seat he represents in Lok Sabha.
"The slogan of 'vote chor, gaddi chhor' is being proven across the country, and the Congress party will continue to prove it again and again, in more dramatic ways,The main slogan 'Vote chor, gaddi chhor' is being proven across the country. We will prove it again and again in more and more dramatic ways," the Congress leader said
Puri, in his post, also accused opposition parties of pursuing "vote bank" politics.
"The real reason behind all this noise and imaginary claims of 'vote chori' is their sinister motive of vote bank politics. Of empowering the infiltrators, stealing the mandate of real Indians, and compromising national security," he said.
With Radhakrishnan winning the Vice-Presidential polls by over 150 votes, BJP MPs on Tuesday took dig at Congress and opposition parties, claiming that 14 MPs from INDIA block indulged "in cross voting" and 14 other whose votes were cancelled are also from the opposition.
BJP leader Bhagwat Karad told ANI that NDA has registered a win as expected."In fact, INDI bloc has got fewer votes with 14 people indulging in cross voting, 14 other votes which were cancelled were also from INDI bloc side," he alleged.
BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal said they were fully confident that NDA candidate would definitely cross the figure of 450 votes.
"We have shown how dominant NDA is in Parliament. We also thank Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi had said that one should vote by listening to the voice of conscience. His 40 MPs have voted for us," he said.