- 39 minutes ago
A heated debate unfolded on India Today over the opposition INDIA bloc's mega rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner over alleged vote theft. Congress national spokesperson Nighat Kaushik affirmed the party's satisfaction with the public turnout and voter participation, dismissing the Bharatiya Janata Party's criticisms regarding crowd numbers. She emphasized that the rally highlighted critical questions about voting rights and electoral rolls, asserting, 'When does demanding accountability become anarchy?' In response, BJP national spokesperson Dr Syed Zafar Islam characterised the rally as a flop show that caused disruption for local traders during the festive season. He challenged the Congress leadership to substantiate their allegations by approaching the court rather than attacking democratic institutions. The debate brought sharp focus to allegations of electoral tampering and counter-accusations of political gimmicks.
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00:00We're now being joined by Congress Party's National Spokesperson,
00:03Nigat Kaushik, on the broadcast.
00:05Ms. Nigat Kaushik, thank you for joining us on India today.
00:09So, now that the mega rally is done, we would like to understand,
00:12is the Congress Party satisfied with the kind of response that they got,
00:16with the kind of way the things flowed today?
00:20And does the Congress Party think that this demand for the resignation
00:25of the Chief Election Commissioner,
00:26it is also resonating with the arm janta,
00:30apart from the political leaders of the India bloc?
00:33Good evening, Anjali, to you and the co-panelists who will be joining soon, I'm sure,
00:37and your viewers this evening.
00:39Of course, we are satisfied and we're very happy.
00:43And it's not just us, it's the voters who are very satisfied and happy
00:47looking at the opposition, which is so unified,
00:50looking at the people who are fighting for their democratic right,
00:53for their voting right.
00:54This is one evening which doesn't need any validation anymore, Anjali.
00:59This is something which is visible.
01:01This is something which everybody today in our country has experienced,
01:04has seen themselves with their own eyes,
01:06that how, when the India bloc, how, when Rahul Gandhi ji,
01:10how, when Congress Party and the entire opposition
01:12and the people who come together and ask questions
01:16from the leading party, from Bharti Janata Party
01:19and the government, the government gets completely baffled.
01:22It is so much visible in the press conference which you just played on your story
01:27that how baffled these people are that they do not have any justifiable answer
01:32as to what had happened about the vote theft.
01:35They have no figures, they have no numbers, they have no explanations.
01:39Why are they reducing the people, the voting rights and everything else,
01:44which is a democratic right?
01:45But the problem here is that the leading party, the Bharti Janata Party,
01:51is not only on the bhakt anymore, they have also become kaan bandh bhakt.
01:55They neither can hear anything, they nor can see anything.
01:59And of course, they can't even speak a word about the vote theft,
02:02which has been happening.
02:03And time and time again, Rahul Gandhi ji has placed his evidences,
02:07has placed his allegations, and also in front of the court,
02:10the allegations and the evidences have been furnished,
02:13and the court will also, soon I'm sure,
02:15will give a befitting response to the Bharti Janata Party and its people.
02:21All right, Ms. Nikit Kaushik, do stay with us.
02:23The reason I was asking you whether this battle against the Chief Election Commissioner,
02:28this demand of his resignation, whether it is resonating with the Amjanata or not,
02:32is because the BJP has now questioned the people who turned up for this mega rally,
02:38because the number which was being claimed by the Congress Party
02:40was somewhere around 10 lakh, which the BJP is claiming.
02:44And in fact, it has also posted a video showing that how the numbers
02:47were not even close to 1 lakh.
02:50Let's first listen into what Sambit Patras said.
02:54Rahul Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi's team,
02:57KC Venugopalan, their right hand,
02:59and the other hand,
03:01that's very important,
03:05and that's very important.
03:07They have said that 10 lakhs will be 0.000,000.
03:13Now, 10 lakhs will be 0.000,000.
03:1710 acres to 12 acres of Ramlila is the Raman.
03:20Now, the stage was created.
03:24The stage was created.
03:26The stage is 15% of the Jage.
03:30It takes a 40% view cutter and puts a tent behind it, so that no one can see it.
03:58How there will be a gathering of around 10 lakh people.
04:01But what the BJP is now pointing out that how these numbers were exaggerated and how the numbers that actually
04:08were visible on the ground was not even close to 1 lakh.
04:12Your reaction?
04:14Anjali, I fail to understand why does BJP always and time and time again keeps the focus on what numbers
04:20does the India Bloc and Congress Party has
04:22and does not focus on the question which are being raised consistently by the India Bloc, Rahul Gandhi, Congress Party,
04:28and also the very own people of our country.
04:30I think that is more important and that's where the focus of the Bharati Janta Party should be.
04:35But of course, when they cannot even answer questions,
04:41that's exactly what's been shown by BJP's press conference, which is conducted by Sambit Patra.
04:46Like I said, you're playing the visuals.
04:49The Ramlila Maidan is all filled with so many people, so many people raising flags,
04:55their voting rights, their democratic rights.
04:57I think this is a message clear out loud to the spokesperson, to the people, to the Bharati Janta Party's
05:05leaders.
05:05So I have no comment and I do not want to dignify Sambit Patra's statement with any kind of discussion
05:12because what he's saying is only because he's baffled and the entire BJP is.
05:15All right, Anika, do stay with us.
05:18We're also being joined by Dr. Syed Zafir Islam, who's the national spokesperson from the BJP.
05:25Mr. Zafir Islam, thank you for joining us on the broadcast.
05:29The Congress seems to be satisfied with the mega rally that happened at the Ramlila Maidan.
05:34The Congress Party has also hit back at the BJP questioning the numbers, calling it a bid to just divert
05:41attention.
05:42And on one hand, the BJP is calling it a flop show, but the Congress Party is perfectly satisfied
05:47and calling it a super hit show.
05:49Let's also talk about the BJP's counter-protest also, the Padhyatra, which was also taken out today.
05:55Do you think that the Padhyatra that was taken out in West Delhi and in Rautak, that was able to
06:04make an impact,
06:05that was able to make a mark, keeping in mind the Ramlila Maidan rally?
06:14Well, today Congress Party and all the indie bloc, whatever they had claimed, they stand exposed completely.
06:22Because they were claiming that Venugopal, Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, all of them were claiming that they will have at least
06:3110,000,000 people.
06:32Or 10,000,000 people will come and attend this mega rally.
06:36If they were expecting, they are fully satisfied, they are superly satisfied, perhaps they were expecting 1,000 or 2
06:43,000 people.
06:44And I can understand that 10,000 people did turn up.
06:46If 10,000 people make them happy and they are thrilled with joys, then let them be happy.
06:55Because the fact is that everyone knows that the response to this Maha Rally or whatever rally was nothing but
07:03a flop show.
07:04Because people didn't come up.
07:06People did say that what is the use of this, they were questioning what is the use of this Maha
07:11Rally.
07:12What purpose they are going to achieve.
07:14They are making the traders lose their money.
07:17They are actually, during this festive season and during festival season, they actually created a lot of problem for the
07:24common man on the street besides the trader trading community.
07:29And they are so unhappy and people who understand that business community needs to be given the opportunity at least
07:36during this festive season, they were denied.
07:39And that's why many people didn't participate because they were sensible enough.
07:43They felt that this is unnecessarily calling this rally which has no agenda.
07:49But Dr. Zaffir Islam, Rahul Gandhi has now shifted the blame to the BJP itself.
07:55He is claiming that how the party workers, the protesters who had come to the national capital, they were ready
08:01to shop in Delhi.
08:03But the shops in Cannot Place were in fact shut.
08:05And he is blaming the BJP for this.
08:11See, for everything they will blame BJP.
08:14Even the crowds who have not participated, the people didn't turn up, they will blame BJP.
08:19For their failure, they will blame BJP.
08:21They have lost three elections back to back, they will blame BJP.
08:24They have to understand, introspect that people do not support them.
08:31In people's Darbar, they are not getting any support and traction with the people, common man on the street.
08:36So, if they don't get vote, they don't get support from the ordinary man, then how they will come to
08:44the power?
08:45They need to have blessing of the common man.
08:48They need to have the blessing of the citizen of this country, which they have lost.
08:52They lost confidence of the people of this country.
08:55And that is why, as a result, they do not support them.
08:57They will never be able to come to power.
08:59They will, despite all the allegations they are making, at the end, they are getting exposed.
09:05Had there been super success of this Maharali, where 10 lakh people would have turned,
09:12then Delhi, on Delhi Street, you would not have been able to drive a car or the whole Delhi would
09:19have experienced the chakka jam.
09:21All right.
09:22Dr. Zafar Islam, Ms. Nigat wants to make a point on that.
09:26So, there is no response.
09:26Nigat, please respond.
09:27I just have one question.
09:29I love how enthusiastic Zafar Bhai seems to be today in order to check what was the number of gathering
09:37of people in Ramlila Meidan.
09:39I mean, I really like what enthusiasm, Mere Bhai, you showed today.
09:43But would you be okay to show the same kind of spirit and enthusiasm when it comes to scrutinize the
09:50electoral role?
09:51Because that's what the entire march was about.
09:53Let's do the scrutiny at the Ramlila Meidan and also the electoral role with the same enthusiasm, with the same
09:59spirit,
09:59and with the same kind of attitude which BJP carries against the opposition.
10:04Why is that time and time again, you always try to dodge the questions which are specific and dedicated to
10:11the citizens of our country about their voting rights and not answering the questions?
10:16I don't understand why do you have to dodge all the time.
10:19I don't understand that why do you have to answer on the behalf of Election Commission.
10:24I don't understand that why do you have to answer on the behalf of Gyanesh Kumar.
10:28And why is that you, when you say is a firm believer of democracy, when democracy is celebrated more each
10:34day by, you know, India Bloc and opposition questioning and the people of our country questioning,
10:40you call them either anti-nationals, you call them either the people who have no knowledge and what not.
10:47I mean, high time, Zafar Bhai.
10:49You are more than that.
10:50You personally are more than that.
10:52All right, we'll also come to the charges, the allegations that were made by the India Bloc leaders,
10:57including Rahul Gandhi also.
10:59So, Rahul Gandhi mentioned how the 2024 elections were illegal, how the Prime Minister and the Home Minister are illegal.
11:06The counter from the BJP is that, that if that logic is applied, then even Rahul Gandhi's post as an
11:12MP, as the leader of opposition is illegal.
11:14And not just Rahul Gandhi, the other opposition MPs are also then illegal.
11:19Let's do the auditing.
11:20Let's do the scrutiny.
11:21That's exactly what Congress Party has been saying.
11:23And we are a firm believer of that.
11:25But come on, I'm not saying that Rahul Gandhi's votes and other leaders' vote from our party and the opposition
11:30leaders would not be questioned or scrutinized.
11:32Please go and validate them also.
11:34But all what we are saying is that SIR is a big vote theft.
11:39You need to question that.
11:40You need to come and furnish the documents, the written documents, what questions were being raised within the election commission.
11:47What were the problems?
11:49How was it resolved?
11:50Everything has to be furnished.
11:51We are not saying that we are screwed.
11:53We are not saying that Rahul Gandhi's vote and don't do it in the election commission.
11:57But go and do it on all the seats equally.
12:00That's what the point is.
12:01All right.
12:02Dr. Zafir Islam, how would you like to respond?
12:07See, first of all, everyone should understand.
12:09We are not the spokesperson of the election commission.
12:15It is the election commission who will speak about themselves.
12:18But we are firm believer and what the Congress senior leader, Manu Sangviji has also said earlier, that there should
12:27be a clean-up exercise as far as bogus voters are concerned.
12:32Because he felt always that there are very bogus voters who have not been citizens of the country, but are
12:38still part of the electoral roll.
12:39That needs to be cleaned up.
12:41And SIR exercise is exactly what he was advocating is being done through SIR exercise.
12:47And that is why, as a party, as a citizen, we are totally behind this exercise, SIR exercise.
12:56Nothing against this exercise, but if they have any reservation, if they have any concern, if they have any document,
13:05if they have anything to prove, instead of making allegation, if they can substantiate, then they must approach the Honorable
13:13Court.
13:13Show the Honorable Court that these are the evidence which I want to put in front of you, that instead
13:20of making this kind of allegation, but they can only make allegation because they know that everything was done with
13:29the right spirit.
13:30Nigar, there is one more point that was made by Rahul Gandhi today.
13:34If somebody is making allegation, they should make, they should, they should, no, if anybody is making allegation, onus is
13:42on them, to prove it.
13:44All right, all right.
13:45Either in the court of public or in the Honorable Court.
13:51Right.
13:52Dr. Zafar Islam, do stay with us.
13:53So, Nigar, the point that the BJP is making is that produced proof.
13:56In fact, there was one more point that was made by the leader of opposition today.
14:00He mentioned how Prime Minister Modi won the 2024 elections with the help of Gyanesh Kumar.
14:06But Gyanesh Kumar was not even the chief election commissioner in 2024.
14:10He was made the chief election commissioner in 2025.
14:18See, Anjali, what has been happening behind the curtains of BJP, you and I all have witnessed.
14:23You may deny, Zafar Bhai may deny, people who are watching from BJP may deny, but the facts remain very
14:29clear.
14:30They're the, you know, the latest examples of Delhi, the latest example of Azamgarh, the latest example of Karnataka, SIR,
14:36how voter rolls have, you know, the names have been deleted.
14:39Everything has been substantially proven time and time again from the opposition leaders.
14:43Either we can do, you know, keep counting the chairs at Ramlila Maidan and keep, you know, mimicking about all
14:49what has happened.
14:49Or we can just go and examine what allegations have been made.
14:53I don't understand why does BJP run from examining the issues?
14:57Why does Gyanesh Kumar is running away from answering the questions?
15:00I don't understand why does the election commission run away from answering the questions?
15:04These are the questions which today at a public rally was furnished.
15:08These are the issues which needs an answer, which have been asked, which are the questions which have been asked
15:14through the public by the India bloc today.
15:16I think those are the questions which needs an examination and which needs an answer.
15:20I think everything else just remains political gimmicky by BJP while they do the press conferences against us.
15:28I think what we need is a particular answer, which they're failing to give.
15:31All right, Nigat and Dr. Zafar Islam, do stay with us.
15:34In fact, this was not the only thing on which Rahul Gandhi attacked.
15:38He was not just attacking the Chief Election Commissioner.
15:40He also mentioned how Prime Minister Modi is next.
15:43And he also mentioned that Modi kahi nahi jane deengi.
15:47Let's listen into what the leader of opposition said today.
15:54Amit Shah Ji nae kaha ki Narendra Modi kahi nahi jane deengi.
16:01May aap ko ulta bataata hoon.
16:04Narendra Modi kahi nahi jane deengi.
16:07Agar jana bhi chaheengi.
16:09Hame unha ni jane deengi.
16:10Jis vikti ne karođo loogo ko ghar diya.
16:14Jis vikti ne hindustan ki taswīr ko badal diya.
16:19Jis vikti ne kal hii kisano ke khateo me karođo rupae
16:36Dr. Zafir Islam, until now the opposition was making all these attacks against the Chief Election Commissioner.
16:45They were calling it a fight against the Chief Election Commissioner.
16:47They were demanding his resignation.
16:49But today Rahul Gandhi has made one thing clear.
16:52That after Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, it's Prime Minister Modi's turn.
17:00See, all I'm saying that Rahul Gandhi is actually believes in anarchy.
17:07And that is what he's trying to demonstrate.
17:10But this country runs on the basis of the constitution.
17:15And all these efforts will fail.
17:17And all this, what Rahul Gandhi is saying is nothing but a stunt which will backfire on them.
17:25And it has always backfired.
17:26This kind of statement he has made not once many more times.
17:29People do not give even attention to what he speaks.
17:32But let me tell you very candidly one thing.
17:34If Rahul Gandhi ji, or for that matter any opposition leaders, I think they are, first of all, all of
17:42them are not on the same page.
17:44Many of them feel that Rahul Gandhi is unnecessarily attacking the government without any proof.
17:49But even if, assume for the moment what Rigat is saying, that they are all together in these efforts, I
17:57would only request them that if you have any proof, approach the Honourable Court.
18:02Show them that this is the proof you have.
18:05But by merely making this kind of allegation, you are actually giving a bad name to the country, to the
18:11institutions, the people of this country.
18:15Because this government was elected by the people.
18:18And you are criticizing them.
18:19If you had the trust of the people, then all these three elections which you have lost, lost, how many
18:27seats you got?
18:2854, 44 or 99, I mean, all put together, we have got more than that in 2000, 2024.
18:35That only suggests that people's support, people's blessing is not with Congress Party or for that matter with the opposition
18:42parties.
18:43People have categorically rejected, very clearly rejected the opposition parties and they will continue to reject their policy.
18:52So, Dr. Zafar Islam is essentially questioning the support of the people that the Congress Party…
18:57Now, they don't have any positive agenda.
18:59All right.
19:00They don't have any positive agenda.
19:02They have no alternative plan.
19:05There's nothing they can project to the people, common man.
19:09Right.
19:09Obviously, common man would like to say, what is the alternative you have?
19:13All right.
19:13Nikat, I'll come to you.
19:15Because that's not the only attack, questioning the support that the Congress Party is getting.
19:20But the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, has also launched a scathing attack against Rahul Gandhi.
19:26He was talking about the symbolic public impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner when he also mentioned that Rahul Gandhi, the
19:32dream that Sonia Gandhi had to make Rahul Gandhi the privatista, that can only be a possibility in mock parliaments.
19:38Nikat, your response to this.
19:41I'd like to respond, Zafar Bhai, first, because he used the word that what Rahul Gandhi is doing is anarchy.
19:47I do not understand that when does asking questions become anarchy.
19:51I don't understand when does demanding accountability become anarchy.
19:56I don't understand when does peaceful protest become anarchy.
19:59Maybe in the Narendra Modi ji's era, all of this is anarchy.
20:03What is silencing the questions are?
20:06Isn't that anarchy, Zafar Bhai?
20:07What is, you know, stopping people from protesting is?
20:12Is it not anarchy?
20:13What BJP is doing is anarchy.
20:15When you stop people from asking questions, when you suppress people from asking questions, that's what we call anarchy.
20:21And that's the right definition of it and not what Congress Party and the India Bloc is doing.
20:26Every question asked, every protester demanding accountability does not become an anti-national and it does not convert him into
20:35an anarchist leader.
20:36What make them is a, you know, voice which is needed to be heard long back and today when the
20:41people of our country are standing with the opposition together, united, unified.
20:47You need to not dodge the questions by only saying anarchist, anarchy and anti-national.
20:53We need answers, we need accountability, we need justifications.
20:56Nigat, all right.
20:58One final word from Dr. Zafar Islam on the Congress Party saying that questioning the government is not anarchy.
21:10No, we, see, you can put the government in the dock, there is no problem.
21:14But the language which he uses, the approach he has, the conduct he has, the way he addressed people, the
21:20way he addressed the chair, chair of the prime minister, chair of the home minister, the way he addressed, this
21:28only shows,
21:29just a second, it only shows that he believes in anarchy and not the constitutional, the process what the country
21:37has.
21:37If you, if you need any support, there is a constitutional mechanism and the, the court of law.
21:44If you have any proof, approach the court of law and show them, show the authorities and show the judges
21:51that this is what the proof you have.
21:53But you have absolutely no proof of wrongdoing.
21:57All right, Dr. Zafar Islam, that's all the time we have.
21:59And there is a recourse to...
22:00Thank you for joining us on the broadcast.
22:02Nigat Kaushik, thank you for joining us on India today.
22:04So the war of words only continues to intensify over vote chori claims which are being made by the India
22:10Bloc.
22:10They staged a massive rally at Ramlila Maidan, but the BJP is not satisfied.
22:15The BJP is saying that it was just a flop show with the numbers being exaggerated.
22:20So both sides claiming to defend democracy because there were dual protests that were happening.
22:25There was a protest, there was a counter-protest by the BJP also.
22:28But the real test which lies in accountability, evidence and action.
22:32For now, the national capital has witnessed another day of political confrontation,
22:36but the larger battle on vote chori is still far from over.
22:40And there is a conflict between the members of BJP Ahchik,
22:40.com It's became a