‘Introspect and apologise,’ Devendra Fadnavis slams Rahul Gandhi over Maharashtra election allegations

Budget Session: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to ‘introspect’ and ‘apologise’ for his manipulation allegations in the recently held assembly elections in the state.

"Introspect instead of insulting Maharashtra! You have insulted the people of Maharashtra, the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Mahatma Phule and Veer Savarkar. You have questioned the democratic mandate given by the people of Maharashtra to the NDA just because your party was vanquished," Fadnavis said in a post on X in response to Rahul Gandhi's comments over Maharashtra election results in Lok Sabha on Monday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Fadnavis won record 132 seats, while the Congress managed to win just 16 seats in the November 2024 assembly elections.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi alleged that about 70 lakh voters, equivalent to Himachal Pradesh's population, were added to the electoral rolls in Maharashtra between the Lok Sabha and state elections.

“Between the Lok Sabha polls, which the INDIA bloc won, and the assembly elections, the number equivalent to the population of Himachal was added to the voting rolls of Maharashtra,” Gandhi said while speaking on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

"More voters were added in Maharashtra in five months between the Lok Sabha and assembly polls than in five years," the former Congress president said days after he alleged that there was a "serious problem" with the country's election system urging the Election Commission to ensure there is transparency in polls.

Fadnavis said, instead of introspection, Rahul Gandhi was indulging in slander. "The people of Maharashtra won't forgive you for this. Apologise Mr. Rahul Gandhi!" he said in the X post.

Rahul questions Trump inauguration invite

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not invited to attend US President Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, sparking a political row. Gandhi said that if there had been a robust system in place, the foreign minister need not have gone to the US to ‘seek’ invitations for the prime minister.

“When we talk to the USA, we would not send our Foreign Minister multiple times to request an invitation for the Prime Minister to the coronation,” Gandhi said, speaking in Lok Sabha.

Union Budget 2025 Session of Parliament, which began with President Droupadi Murmu addressing both Houses of Parliament on January 31, will continue until February 13 in the first leg. The session will reconvene on March 10 and continue until April 4. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2025 on February 1.