"Setting false narrative to hold his leadership ground": Maha Minister Bawankule's jibe at Rahul Gandhi

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 6 : Amid chaos over "voter fraud" allegations, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday accused Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of setting a false narrative to hold his leadership ground as "nobody was giving him value".
Speaking to reporters here, he said that Congress will be wiped out in both Bihar and Maharashtra.
"They are going to be wiped out in Bihar as well as Maharashtra. When leadership is questioned, they make attempts to save themselves. Rahul Gandhi is creating this false narrative to maintain his leadership position. He is targeting the BJP through the Election Commission. This is why we have to respond. Otherwise, we don't need to speak for the EC," former Maharashtra BJP chief Bawankule said.
"A false narrative is being spread now. There's only addition, but no deletion. Addition happens when a person living in one place moves to another. Deletion needs to happen. It is a normal procedure, and it happens as well. Rahul Gandhi is preparing a pudding again and again, but it is not getting cooked. Nobody is giving him any value," he added.
Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, Bawankule said that the Congress MP didn't make a fuss about "voter fraud" when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won 31 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
"I want to send Rs 1,000 as 'baksheesh' to Rahul Gandhi, if he accepts it. He lies. He knows that the voter list for Lok Sabha elections is used in all elections. Based on the same voter list, 31 of their MPs were elected in Maharashtra. At that time, he didn't say that the voter list was flawed. He says that the voter list was flawed after they lost assembly elections," the BJP leader said.
Speaking on the Parth Pawar land case, Bawankule said that the probe will begin once a complaint is filed in this regard.
"So far, I have not received any complaint. They are going to file a complaint on Tuesday. The Industries Department will verify under which scheme what has been given. When we came up with the IT Park policy, the cabinet announced some concessions. Are they among them? We will have to check this. If the officials have done anything wrong, we will investigate. I have the authority to implement the Mahar Watan Act, but no complaint has been received," the Revenue Minister said.
At a press conference in the national capital on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi alleged that one in eight voters in Haryana were fake, claiming large-scale voter fraud and pointing to unexplained discrepancies between postal and booth votes. He stated that a corrupt voter list undermines democracy and emphasised that the opposition will coordinate on next steps, while urging young people and residents of Haryana to understand the issue.
"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.
He further urged India's Gen Z and youth to safeguard the country's democratic process while addressing allegations of large-scale voter fraud in Haryana.
Gandhi highlighted that the youth have the power to restore democracy through truth and non-violence.
He also claimed a plan was set in motion to turn a predicted Congress victory into defeat in Haryana polls.
"I want the young people of India, Gen Z, to understand this clearly. Because this is about your future. Your future is being destroyed. So it's important that you listen and you watch. I'm questioning the Election Commission and the democratic process in India. So I'm doing it with 100 per cent proof. We are pretty sure that a plan was put in motion to convert Congress' landslide victory (in Haryana) into a loss," he said.