Won't stop calling Rahul Gandhi fraud till he apologises to PM: Kerala BJP chief

Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday hit back at Chief Minister VD Satheesan for condemning his remarks against Rahul Gandhi amid a row over a report claiming that the election commissioners dissented over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Chandrasekhar said he was responding because Satheesan had objected to his comments on the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

The exchange follows Chandrasekhar's remarks on Saturday, when he criticised Rahul Gandhi and said voters had rejected the Congress over “corruption, appeasement politics, developmental stagnation and lack of employment”. He also defended the SIR, saying it was meant to protect democracy.

In a post on X, Satheesan said personal and abusive comments against Rahul Gandhi did not amount to political criticism. He also criticised Chandrasekhar's response to reported differences of opinion within the Election Commission over the SIR exercise.

Replying on X on Sunday, Chandrasekhar said he seldom made personal attacks on political opponents but was “compelled” to do so in Rahul Gandhi's case. “Rahul's politics since being thrown out by tired, angry voters in 2014 consists solely of and is built on lies, insults and divisiveness,” he said.

Chandrasekhar alleged that Rahul Gandhi's politics “tears down the country and the country's institutions constantly” and accused him of making “slander and abuse” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and spreading misinformation about the government and the BJP.

“I have absolutely no reservation or hesitation in referring to Rahul and his politics as politics built on fraud and corruption and him as a fraud,” he said.

He also criticised Rahul Gandhi over his remarks against the Prime Minister and the Election Commission, and said those remarks were what should be condemned. “Respect in politics has to be earned-through sincere hard work and service for the country. Throughout Rahul's dynasty entitled ‘career’, he has done neither,” he said.

On the SIR, Chandrasekhar said Satheesan's views were not in line with those of senior Congress leaders and asserted that “fake, dummy and illegal voters must and will be removed from electoral rolls”. He said he would normally have ignored Satheesan's condemnation, but had chosen to respond because he was the leader from his state.

“If you get Rahul to apologise for calling our PM Narendra Modi a ‘deshdrohi’ and have him apologise to the Election Commission for lying, then I promise to stop referring to Rahul Gandhi as a fraud,” Chandrasekhar said.

“But if you don't take up my above offer but persist in using lies, unkept promises, corruption and appeasement as your political strategy, be prepared to be called out as frauds. Every time,” he added.