New Delhi, 9 August

The BJP on Saturday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi must resign on "moral grounds" from the membership of the Lok Sabha if he does not have faith in the Election Commission, and flayed him for not submitting a written declaration on his "vote theft" claim.

BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also asked Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to resign as members of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha if they do not have any faith in the polls.

"You (Rahul Gandhi) make baseless allegations before the media and then refuse to give proof and a written declaration when the constitutional body asks for it," Bhatia said at a press conference at the BJP headquarters here.

Reading out excerpts of a past Supreme Court judgement, the party spokesperson said the apex court had observed that there was no doubt about the bona fides of the Election Commission and that it was a matter of record that the poll body had built a reputation as an impartial body over the years.

"Rahul Gandhi, if you don't trust the election commission and the observations made by the Supreme Court, do one thing: first, you resign from the Lok Sabha membership. Priyanka Gandhi, you also resign. Sonia Gandhi, you also resign at least on moral grounds because you are raising questions on the same Election Commission," Bhatia said.

"Then, you go to the Supreme Court, the high court and people," he said.

Bhatia demanded that the chief ministers of Congress-ruled Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh also resign, for their top leaders had no faith in the EC.

"Whatever suits you, you accept. Whatever is inconvenient, you reject and cast aspersions on the Election Commission. This will not work," Bhatia said.

Gandhi on Friday asserted that he had taken the oath inside Parliament on the Constitution, as a response to the EC demanding from him an affidavit under oath over his "vote chori" claim.

Addressing the Vote Adhikar Rally in Bengaluru, he also said the Karnataka government should probe the inclusion of fake voters in the state during the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

"The EC asks me to file an affidavit and give information under oath. I have taken oath inside Parliament, in front of the Constitution, on the Constitution," he said.

Bhatia termed Gandhi's "vote theft" claim a lie: "'Rahul aka 'arajak tatva' (anarchic element) has now become Rahul aka 'vidhwansak' (destroyer). He wants to destroy the Constitution of India and Indian democracy."

He also accused the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha of being "immature" and starting a war against constitutional institutions by threatening EC officials.

Bhatia also responded to a media query on the whereabouts of former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, originally posed by lawyer Kapil Sibal.

"These are those people who were raising questions on the Vice President's position and are now showing concerns," he said.

"Every citizen and every individual is safe in the Indian democracy. Those who are 'vidhwansak' (destroyer), tearing democracy to shreds, terrorists, corrupts, naxalites, they are not safe," he added.

Sibal on Saturday said he had heard of the movie 'Laapataa Ladies' but never heard of a "laapataa (absent) vice president," as he wondered about Dhankhar's vanishing from the public eye since his resignation.

Sibal, a former Union law minister, urged Home Minister Amit Shah to make a statement on the whereabouts of Dhankhar to assuage concerns about his health and well-being.

In a sudden move, Dhankhar resigned as vice president on 21 July, the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament, citing health reasons. The Opposition has claimed that he was forced to resign.