LS Polls: BJP Approaches EC Over Rahul Gandhi's 'Match Fixing' Jibe at PM Modi

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s controversial ‘fixed match’ remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the INDIA bloc’s rally.

At the INDIA bloc’s ‘Loktantra Bachao’ rally, Gandhi accused PM Modi of trying to do “match-fixing” in the Lok Sabha polls and asserted that if the BJP wins the election through this endeavour and changes the Constitution, then the whole country would be “finished.”

In another bold allegation, the Congress leader claimed that the party’s “400 paar slogan is impossible without match-fixing” adding that the Prime Minister chose “umpires” to go “400 paar.”

“When pressure is put on umpires and captain, players are bought off and the match is won, in cricket, it is called match-fixing. We have Lok Sabha polls before us. Who selected the umpires? Before the match started, two players were arrested. Narendra Modi is trying to do match-fixing in these polls,” PTI quoted Gandhi as saying.

On the Income Tax Department freezing Congress’s accounts ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi said the Congress is the biggest opposition party and all its accounts have been frozen at a time when the party has to run a campaign and send leaders to states.

“What kind of elections are these, governments are made to fall by using money power, leaders are threatened and arrested, Soren ji and Kejriwal ji are arrested,” Gandhi alleged.

He said the entire country is watching this “match-fixing” in the election. It was Prime Minister Modi who appointed the Election Commission, put two chief ministers behind bars merely one or two months ahead of elections and “froze our bank accounts”, Gandhi said.

BJP on Rahul Gandhi’s Remarks

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that he approached the poll commission regarding several issues including the controversial statements used by Rahul Gandhi against the prime minister.

Today, we presented several issues before the EC. One, yesterday at the INDIA bloc’s rally, Rahul Gandhi said several things which are very objectionable with serious implications. He said, “This is a fixed match”. He also said that the government has its people in the EC and the elections can’t be won without EVM. He also said that the rights provided by the Indian Constitution are being snatched away. He said that a BJP worker had said that after “400 paar” the Constitution would be cancelled. We don’t know which worker said that.”

Puri said he also brought to EC’s notice a contentious social media post by Gandhi where he posted an image of PM Modi and alleged that the PM said that he will give his life to save rapists.

“Such a low-level political discourse!… We can understand his frustration. His INDI alliance is breaking,” said Puri.

INDIA Bloc’s Loktantra Bachao Rally

In a show of opposition unity ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, INDIA bloc leaders came together at a ‘Loktantra Bachao’ rally at the Ramlila ground in New Delhi on Sunday to protest the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal in connection with a money laundering case.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI general secretary D Raja, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, and Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren, among others, attended the rally.