India News | “Modi, Shah Misusing CEC's Position": Congress Hits Back at Shah's 30-year Rule Prediction; Points to RTI Disclosures

New Delhi [India], October 23 (ANI): Congress leader KC Venugopal on Friday slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah's prediction of a long ruling tenure, dismissing it as baseless confidence while accusing the government of misusing electoral authorities for political advantage.

Speaking to ANI, Congress MP KC Venugopal slammed the government's forecasts, questioning the basis of such confidence and raising concerns over electoral integrity.

Also Read | DK Shivakumar Raises Spyware Concerns, Claims Industrialist Wore Meta AI Glasses During Meeting.

"It is baseless confidence. What kind of confidence is this? Does he think that Gyanesh Kumar or a future Chief Election Commissioner will help them achieve all this? That is a baseless claim. It is not going to happen. We are not going to allow it, and India is not going to allow it at all," Venugopal told ANI.

Highlighting the mounting momentum behind the opposition's protests, Venugopal argued that statements from top government leadership reflect deep-seated anxiety over the collective agitation led by the INDIA bloc.

Also Read | Gujarat and Scotland Sign MoUs on Energy and Sports.

He reiterated the party's resolve to challenge alleged electoral discrepancies legally and publicly.

KC Venugopal said, "Look at the statements made by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister yesterday. I am telling you very clearly that the INDIA alliance’s agitation and the mood of the people across the country are prompting them to make these statements. Let them do whatever they want. Let them say whatever they want about Rahul Gandhi. But we are very clear on this issue, and the people of India are also clear about it now. The vote theft cannot be repeated everywhere. We must put a stop to these things. We are seeking a legal remedy and have already approached the Supreme Court. We will also take up this issue on the streets on a much larger scale. The Prime Minister’s statement was entirely baseless. People remember his earlier statements, including his claim that he would win more than 400 seats in the last Lok Sabha election. You are now completely afraid of the INDIA alliance’s agitation. That is what your reaction reflects."

Announcing a major mobilisation effort, Venugopal pointed to fresh Right to Information (RTI) disclosures that he claimed substantiate opposition concerns regarding executive oversight over election authorities.

He highlighted preparations for an upcoming November 1 rally at the capital's Ramlila Maidan

"November 1 is going to be one of the biggest rallies of the INDIA alliance at Ramlila Maidan. Today, the RTI revelation points to the government's involvement in the Election Commission's activities. Whenever the Election Commission sent a letter to the Cabinet Secretary, it was returned with the comment, "No need to act on it." This means the matter was within the knowledge of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. What we have been saying has now been substantiated.”

The Congress MP accused the executive leadership of undermining electoral transparency and leveraging bureaucratic machinery to influence election oversight.

“Modi and Shah are engaging in these kinds of activities related to elections by misusing Gyanesh Kumar's position as Chief Election Commissioner. The Cabinet Secretary's note has now substantiated this...Our issue is becoming bigger day by day," Congress MP KC Venugopal said. 

The remarks come after Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that Congress will not be able to win elections even by 2030.

On Thursday, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the Congress party would not be able to win elections even by 2030 due to its "negative politics," accusing Rahul Gandhi of raising "vote theft" allegations solely to safeguard the vote bank of infiltrators.

Addressing a gathering in the national capital here, the Home Minister dismissed the Congress party’s repeated questions on the neutrality of the Election Commission of India (ECI), remarking that the grand old party only blames democratic institutions when it loses.

"I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that you want to save the votes of infiltrators by levelling allegations of vote theft. The Congress has not been elected in several states for decades, and this trend began long before PM Modi came to power," Shah said.

Taking a swipe at Congress' electoral fortunes, Shah added, "The way you are pursuing negative politics, I want to tell you that you will not be able to win elections even by 2030... Where you win, the Election Commission is doing well, but whenever you lose, the Election Commission is deemed faulty. If you can hear my words, remember that your turn will not come for the next 30 years."

This comes amid the INDIA bloc’s agitation against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Congress has demanded the removal of CEC Kumar and a rollback of the SIR exercise. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)