Venugopal slams BJP, demands apology for 'insulting' Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 15 ( IANS) Launching a scathing attack, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal MP on Friday demanded that former Union Minister Anurag Thakur and the BJP issue a public apology for demeaning both Wayanad and Kerala.

Venugopal said Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had, after a four-month probe, exposed vote list manipulation in Bengaluru Central with “clear evidence”.

“Days later, Anurag Thakur made a similar allegation. How did he get this information? Was the BJP given the electronic voter list by the Election Commission? And why has the EC not asked him for a sworn statement, as they did with Rahul Gandhi?” Venugopal asked.

He claimed Thakur’s own statement alleging fake votes in multiple locations nationwide amounted to an admission that the BJP recognised voter roll irregularities.

“Media investigations have corroborated Rahul Gandhi’s allegations but exposed Thakur’s as factually wrong,” he said, accusing the senior BJP MP of “failing to do even basic homework”.

Citing an example, Venugopal said Thakur’s claim about multiple religious names under a single address in Chounderikunnu in Wayanad was steeped in prejudice.

“Residents legitimately use that address. The name ‘Mymoona’ refers to three different individuals, as the media found in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. Even here, the BJP’s narrative injects communal undertones,” he charged.

Turning to Thrissur, Venugopal called on Union Minister and local MP Suresh Gopi to break his silence over alleged fake votes.

“Nobody opposes victory through fair means. But the emerging evidence raises genuine doubts about the voter rolls. As MP, he has a responsibility to clarify,” he said.

Venugopal further accused the BJP of “disrespecting” Independence Day traditions.

He pointed to a Petroleum Ministry advertisement that placed Savarkar’s image above Mahatma Gandhi’s, while omitting India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

“The Prime Minister chose to remember the RSS, which had no role in the freedom struggle, while staying silent on the patriots who secured independence. Since coming to power, the BJP has worked to distort history,” he alleged.

The Congress leader said the BJP and Thakur must “show the decency” to apologise and insisted that the Election Commission act impartially on all such allegations.

--IANS

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