Devendra Fadnavis dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s “hydrogen bomb” claim on alleged vote theft, calling it a “small firecracker” and accusing him of echoing “foreign forces” against Indian democracy.
Fadnavis also criticised Uddhav Thackeray’s farm loan waiver campaign tour, saying his outreach is election-driven and will not gain public support.
CM Fadnavis Says Rahul Gandhi’s 'Hydrogen Bomb' Is Just a 'Small Firecracker'
Gandhi had unveiled “The H-files”, alleging that the 2024 Haryana polls were “stolen” with fake voter entries and Election Commission complicity.
Summary
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s "hydrogen bomb" remark over alleged vote theft has turned out to be just a "small firecracker".
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Fadnavis said the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha seems to be following an agenda aligned with foreign forces that aim to destabilise India’s democracy.
Gandhi had recently claimed that his party would soon unveil a "hydrogen bomb" of revelations about "vote chori".
At a press conference in Delhi on Wednesday, Gandhi presented "The H-files", alleging that the 2024 Haryana assembly polls were "stolen". He cited electoral roll data to claim that 25 lakh entries were fake and accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to secure its victory.
Responding to the allegations, Fadnavis said, "Gandhi's hydrogen bomb was a very weak bomb, actually, it was a small firecracker." He added, "What Rahul Gandhi is doing and his agenda are looking similar to international forces that do not want democracy to prevail in the country properly. These international forces are also trying to remove the people's trust in the country's democratic institutions, and Rahul Gandhi is doing the same thing."
On Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is touring Marathwada and criticising the Mahayuti government over the farm loan waiver issue, Fadnavis remarked that people recognise such visits as being linked to the upcoming local body polls.
"I am happy that Uddhav Thackeray is coming out, because he had not come out of the carpet (of his house) when he was the chief minister and farmers were in trouble. At least, now he has realised that one has to go to the people. However, people know that they (Uddhav Thackeray) are coming to them because of the upcoming elections," he said.
Elections for 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats in Maharashtra are scheduled for December 2.
Fadnavis said funds from the relief package announced by his government for farmers affected by the August–September deluge are being credited to their accounts, which is why Thackeray is not getting much support.
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He added that remaining payments will also be transferred soon.
"I feel that no matter how much Uddhav Thackeray tries (referring to his tour) on the backdrop of the elections, he will not get any support from the people," the CM said.
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