Paschim Champaran (Bihar) [India], November 5 : Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday defended her brother Rahul Gandhi over his "10% of the population have control over Army" remarks, saying he has not said anything that will insult the Army and he always wants the well-being of the military.
Talking to the media here, Priyanka Gandhi also took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his frequent "insult" jibes at the Congress, saying he should start an "apmaan mantralaya".
"Modi ji ko main sujhaav deti hoon ki woh ek 'apmaan' mantralaya khol le'... My brother did not say anything that would insult the Army. He will never say such My brother wants the well-being of the military and is a devotee of this country. He stands up against these people; he is fearless and shows the truth to the entire nation," Priyanka Gandhi said.
She also referred to the "vote chori" allegations made by Rahul Gandhi against the BJP in the Haryana elections and the collusion allegations against the Election Commission.
Priyanka Gandhi said she hoped that the assembly elections in Bihar would be fair after the "vote chori" allegations of the opposition parties.
"Rahul Gandhi has done a press conference to show how elections were rigged in Haryana. I hope that fair elections will be conducted in Bihar, as we have raised these issues. However, if elections are not conducted fairly, it means they are doing the same thing they have done in other states," she said.
"If the government is being formed through vote addition, subtraction and theft, where is the democracy? Rahul Gandhi is not going to stop, Rahul Gandhi is only going to say the truth always," she added.
Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference in the national capital on Wednesday, alleged "large-scale voter fraud" in the 2024 Haryana assembly elections.
He referred to the list of voters issued by the Election Commission ahead of the Haryana assembly polls and alleged that there were nearly 25 lakh fake votes in the state.
He stated that a corrupt voter list undermines democracy.
"Now, we have proof that the voter list in India is a lie. " If the voter list is a lie, there is no democracy," Gandhi said during his 'H Files' press conference.
In an election campaign rally on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi had claimed that the Indian Army is "under the control of 10 per cent of the country's population," apparently referring to the dominance of upper castes in the institution.
He highlighted the issue of "inequality in India", stating that despite 90 per cent of the population belonging to marginalised communities, including Dalits, Mahadalits, backward classes, and minorities, they are underrepresented in corporate India, bureaucracy, judiciary, and other key institutions.
Voting for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections on 121 constituencies will be held on November 6 (Thursday). The remaining 122 constituencies will vote in the second phase on November 11.