Mumbai: Union minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday participated in the Bharatiya Janata Party's "Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao" march in Mumbai and said that residents of the North Mumbai parliamentary constituency would give a befitting reply to what he described as false propaganda by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and their allies.
Goyal, the Union minister of commerce and industry, is the MP from North Mumbai. The BJP has launched the "Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao (save democracy, remove anarchy)" campaign as a counter to the opposition's protests against alleged irregularities in the special intensive revision process.
"Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress and its allies have tried to mislead the nation with their false propaganda, but the residents of North Mumbai are giving a befitting reply to them," he said during the march.
Goyal further asserted: "It is doubtful if the Congress could mobilise so many people even across the country as those who have gathered in Mumbai in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
On Saturday, the opposition INDIA bloc, or the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, had carried out a symbolic “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of conspiring with the BJP to manipulate elections and of deleting over 13 crore voters through the special intensive revision process.
Commenting on the "public impeachment", Goyal urged the Congress and the opposition alliance to introspect on their electoral failures instead.
"The people of India have already rejected the INDIA bloc, so where is the question of any motion?" the minister was quoted as saying by ANI. "I think the Congress needs to introspect, and the so-called unholy alliance – that is sometimes with Congress and sometimes opposed to Congress – has to see why the people of India are rejecting them again and again."
Kharge had alleged during the "public impeachment" that Kumar was running the Election Commission under direct instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
"Seven months ago, 193 opposition MPs moved a motion in both Houses of Parliament to remove the CEC," the Congress president had said. "However, our notices were rejected, and no cognisance was taken of them. Therefore, the motion we have brought forward today is aimed at safeguarding the dignity of a constitutional institution."
