Weakening democratic institutions Congress' hidden policy: Anil Vij

Chandigarh, Sep 18 (PTI) Haryana Minister Anil Vij Thursday alleged that "weakening" democratic institutions has long been the Congress' "hidden policy", asserting that history itself bears testimony to it.

Earlier in the day, the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, ramped up his attack on the issue of vote theft and accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of protecting those who "destroyed democracy".

Responding to the allegation, Vij said, "The Congress has consistently attacked institutions like the ED, CBI, and Election Commission because of its authoritarian mindset.

"History bears witness that Congress trampled democracy when it imposed the Emergency, snatched away people's rights, and put restrictions on the press. That is why the party repeatedly questions and undermines democratic institutions," Vij said here.

Gandhi, while attacking the CEC, cited data from a Karnataka assembly constituency to claim that the votes of Congress voters were being systematically deleted in a targeted manner.

The Election Commission, however, dubbed the charges as "incorrect and baseless" and asserted that no deletion of votes can happen without giving an opportunity to be heard to the affected person.

Gandhi also made it clear at the outset that the revelations were not the "hydrogen bomb" that he had promised, and he would soon reveal those details.

Attacking the Congress leader, Vij said, "Rahul Gandhi is perhaps the first leader in the world who repeatedly talks about hydrogen bombs and atom bombs, which reflects his deeply negative mindset.

"He makes sensational statements to scare people. Lacking positivity, he issues one negative statement after another, misleading the people," he added. PTI SUN RHL