Rahul Gandhi Is Congress' Biggest Red Flag': Union Minister Piyush Goyal Challenges LoP To Answer 10 Questions - VIDEO

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his allegations of vote theft and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing the Congress of double standards in questioning the Election Commission's fairness.

Addressing a press conference, Goyal challenged Gandhi to answer 10 questions, alleging that the Congress questions the poll body's credibility when it loses elections but praises the electoral process when it wins.

"Rahul Gandhi is the biggest red flag for Congress," Goyal said, adding that the Congress leader's repeated allegations and conduct were damaging the party's electoral prospects.

Questioning Gandhi's claims of vote theft, Goyal asked why the Congress leader had not submitted an affidavit to the Election Commission to substantiate his allegations. He also questioned why the Congress had not raised similar objections when the SIR exercise was conducted in Bihar and why the party had not filed claims for inclusion or exclusion of names during the revision process in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

Goyal cited remarks attributed to Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, Ramesh Chennithala and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, as well as Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan, to argue that Opposition leaders had acknowledged the benefits of electoral roll revision or praised the conduct of elections.

He further questioned the Congress's decision to protest against the SIR while legal proceedings concerning the exercise were underway. Referring to the judicial process, Goyal said constitutional avenues should be pursued instead of taking to the streets.

Invoking Dr BR Ambedkar, he said, "When constitutional methods are available, abandoning them is the grammar of anarchy," accusing the Congress of attempting to provoke people through its protests.

Goyal also condemned the alleged manhandling of a woman journalist during an Opposition protest on Monday. He claimed the journalist, who was three months pregnant, was pushed to the ground and subsequently hospitalised while covering the demonstration.

"She was only covering their protest and asking a few questions," Goyal said, alleging that Gandhi and his colleagues had behaved unacceptably towards her.

The minister accused the Congress of making baseless allegations against constitutional institutions and said repeatedly questioning electoral outcomes would not help the party regain public trust.