BJP, JD(U) accuse Congress of living in denial about poll defeats, creating a mess to grab power

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal addresses a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi on October 13, 2026. | Photo credit: ANI

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), on Tuesday (October 13, 2026) accused the Congress of undermining constitutional institutions and creating disorder in a bid to regain power. The BJP and JD(U) claimed that the main opposition questioned the credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI) after electoral defeats but accepted the process whenever it won.

At a joint press conference at the BJP headquarters, union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh of the JD(U) shared the platform with senior BJP leader and union minister Piyush Goyal. Both ministers condemned the alleged ill-treatment of a pregnant journalist who was covering the Congress-led protest on Monday (11 October 2026).

At the protests, Mr Goyal said if the Congress really doubts the ECI’s impartiality and the integrity of the Special Intensive Review (SIR) process, the six chief ministers of states where the party is in power or part of the ruling coalition should resign immediately. He mentioned Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and Keralam, apart from Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu.

Accusing the Congress of double standards, Mr Goyal said Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and his party had a “delulu is the solulu” (“delusion is the solution”) mindset, suggesting they were living in denial about electoral setbacks.

Mr. Goyal asked Mr. Gandhi why he repeatedly alleged “vote theft” without producing an affidavit or proof; and why did the Congress oppose SIR when some of its own leaders demanded a cleanup of the electoral roll and even acknowledged its benefits.

The Congress and Mr Gandhi questioned the impartiality of the ECI, Mr Goyal said, but forgot their own history of allegedly rewarding former election officials with political appointments. The Modi government, on the other hand, introduced a law in 2023 that stipulates that the appointment of election commissioners will be decided by a selection committee that includes the leader of the opposition, Mr. Goyal said.

“I don’t think Rahul Gandhi, the Congress Party or the Aam Aadmi Party, by sending his B-Team (an apparent reference to the Cockroach Janta Party), can undermine Indian democracy through such attempts,” Mr Goyal said, adding that the protests had attracted a limited number of participants.

The JD(U) minister claimed that Mr Gandhi wanted “institutions that will remain loyal to him”, citing two cases of former judges during the Congress regime. He alleged that the Congress is now trying to discredit institutions, including the ECI and the judiciary, and put pressure on them through protests.

The Congress has also questioned electronic voting machines (EVMs) after losing elections, but has accepted the results whenever it has won, Mr. Singh said. Referring to Mr Gandhi’s allegations against Mr Modi over the Rafale deal, he said the Congress leader later apologized in writing to the Supreme Court.

Accusing Mr Gandhi of “creating a mess to grab power”, Mr Singh said: “I think Rahul Gandhi is following in his grandmother’s footsteps. He wants to take the Congress party back to the 1974-75 period when the country was under emergency and basic rights were taken away from everyone, including the rights of journalists, judges and high courts.”

The Congress’ policies and behavior were responsible for its dwindling voter base, the JD(U) leader said, comparing them to that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also criticized the Congress for what he described as an “unprecedented” protest outside the Supreme Court to “bring pressure”.

Published – 13 Oct 2026 21:49 IST