Launching a scathing attack against the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, BJP National Vice President Ram Madhav on Tuesday accused the opposition of attempting to trigger chaos and confusion across the country
because they cannot defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi through democratic means. Addressing a press conference in Jammu, Madhav slammed the opposition’s recent Ramlila Maidan protest, dismissing their allegations of vote-stealing and election rigging as a desperate ploy.
“Rahul Gandhi is regularly found in foreign countries, leaving one to wonder who is actually leading the opposition. We do not take Rahul Gandhi seriously,” Madhav stated, contrasting the Congress party’s narrative with recent electoral outcomes. “The BJP’s performance has been very good, and everyone can see how the Congress fared miserably in the recent MLC elections. Nobody in the country is supporting them anymore.”
“If the Congress thinks it can spread anarchy in the country by gathering 50,000 people, then the BJP will go to 5 lakh villages and tell 100 crore people that the Congress remains the single biggest threat to Indian democracy,” Madhav declared.
DISMISSING THE RAMLILA MAIDAN CROWD CLAIMS
The BJP leader questioned the scale and impact of the opposition’s joint rally in Delhi, mocking the attendance figures presented by organizers.
“They claimed that 10 lakh people would attend the rally, but according to our assessment, there were no more than 50,000 people present,” Madhav remarked, pointing out that 23 opposition parties combined could not pull a massive crowd. “In Jammu, even a single BJP assembly constituency rally easily attracts 5,000 people.”
CALLING OUT THE ’13 CRORE DELETIONS’ NARRATIVE
Madhav alleged that the Congress has been systematically targeting the Election Commission (EC) and India’s electoral framework for the past several months. He strongly refuted the opposition’s claims that names are being wrongfully purged from the rolls.
“The Congress is alleging that the names of nearly 13 crore voters have been removed from the voter list. Yet, they have not been able to bring forward a single actual person whose vote was wrongfully deleted,” he said.
Madhav explained that millions of people pass away or change their residence across India every year. Updating the electoral rolls via such reviews is an essential, standard process to fix the database, he said.
Directly referencing Rohingya migrants, Madhav questioned the Congress party’s motives. “Does the Congress want illegal infiltrators living in India to enjoy voting rights? Removing deceased individuals, relocated voters, and fake names through the SIR process is absolutely vital to strengthening our democratic system,” he said.
DEFENDING CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER GYANESH KUMAR
Madhav termed the opposition’s sustained attacks against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as a calculated political conspiracy. “When Congress lost multiple elections in the past, Gyanesh Kumar was not the Chief Election Commissioner. Who did the Congress blame for their defeats back then?” Madhav asked, stating that the opposition is intentionally trying to erode the public’s faith in apex democratic institutions.
MADHAV ON PARLIAMENT DISRUPTION & ‘REGIME CHANGE’ PLOTS
Madhav stated that the government remains fully prepared to debate any national issue on the floor of the House, but accused opposition parties of deliberately stalling governance. “We are ready to discuss the issue in the Parliament, but the opposition only wants to disrupt the proceedings,” he said.
Concluding his address, the BJP leader alleged that the opposition’s rhetoric stems from an inability to win mandates through legitimate electoral processes. “Those who talk about regime change… their intention is clear: they cannot defeat Modi-ji through democratic means. We will not let this Congress plan succeed,” Madhav declared.
EVOKING THE 1987 J&K RIGGING ALLEGATIONS AND THE EMERGENCY
Turning the tables on the history of electoral integrity, Madhav asserted that the Congress party itself holds the record for tampering with democratic processes.
He explicitly pointed to the controversial 1987 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, conducted under the Farooq Abdullah and Rajiv Gandhi alliance. Madhav alleged that the mass rigging during that specific election created the precise conditions that triggered the rise of terrorism in J&K. He further evoked the Emergency, reminding voters of the past allegations against Indira Gandhi for misusing state machinery to retain power.
ON THE INTERNAL RIFT WITHIN THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Turning his attention to local politics, Madhav took a swipe at the ruling National Conference (NC), which is currently facing severe internal turbulence following a recent cabinet expansion. The rift widened significantly after NC MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi voiced public dissatisfaction over ministerial portfolios and leadership.
“The National Conference is visibly disintegrating right before everyone’s eyes,” Madhav said, noting that Ruhullah Mehdi has been holding separate rallies. However, Madhav declined to comment further on the crisis, stating, “Whatever is happening inside the National Conference is their internal matter, and I will not offer any further remarks on it.”
