Rahul Gandhi Amplifies Vote Chori Allegations in Berlin, Criticizes India’s Election Machinery

Rahul Gandhi, the senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha Opposition leader, intensified his critique of the BJP while speaking at the Hertie School in Berlin last week. Gandhi alleged that India’s institutions have been “weaponized” to suppress opposition voices. He stated that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are being used against political adversaries while those aligned with the ruling party remain protected.

The BJP, however, rejected Gandhi’s claims, calling them anti-national and criticizing him for what they termed immature remarks. According to BJP officials, Gandhi’s accusations are politically motivated and do not reflect the reality of India’s institutional framework.

“There is a wholesale capture of our institutional framework,” Gandhi declared during his Berlin address. “Our CBI, ED, and intelligence services have been turned into weapons. The majority of political cases are against those who oppose the BJP, and the ED and CBI have zero cases against them,” he added.

#WATCH | Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in Berlin: “Our institutional framework has been completely captured. The CBI, ED, and our intelligence services have been turned into weapons. The majority of political cases are against the BJP, and neither the ED nor the CBI have any cases against the party.” — ANI (@ANI), December 22, 2025

Gandhi’s five-day visit to Germany included discussions highlighting the alleged threats faced by businessmen and political figures supporting the Congress. He emphasized that while the Congress helped establish the institutional framework, the party never claimed ownership over it, viewing it as belonging to the nation.

Contrastingly, he argued, the BJP treats India’s institutions as instruments of political leverage. Gandhi stressed, “We will create a system of opposition resistance that will succeed. We are opposing the BJP’s takeover of the Indian institutional framework, not the party itself.”

Allegations of Vote Theft

Rahul Gandhi once again raised allegations of vote theft, specifically pointing to the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections. He claimed that the elections were rigged in favor of the BJP and cited similar concerns in Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, where Congress had reportedly won.

#WATCH | Germany, Berlin: “We have won elections in Telangana and Himachal Pradesh. We have been bringing up concerns about the impartiality of Indian elections. I have held press conferences in India where we have demonstrated that we won the Haryana election and do not believe the Maharashtra elections were fair.” — ANI (@ANI), December 22, 2025

Gandhi asserted that the Congress party has evidence of its victory in Haryana and raised questions regarding anomalies, such as duplicate entries on voter lists. Despite repeated efforts, he claimed that the Election Commission did not respond, leading him to conclude that “there is a fundamental problem with the electoral machinery in India.”

Clash of Visions

The Congress leader also critiqued Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s economic policies. Gandhi argued that the BJP and the RSS have largely continued former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s economic strategy without introducing fresh initiatives, resulting in a stagnated approach.

He claimed that many Indians disagree with Modi’s vision and that this ideological divide could escalate social tensions. “The vision has a lot of issues, and we believe it will fail. India will become extremely tense, and Indians will start fighting. There is a conflict between two visions in India,” Gandhi said.

#WATCH | Rahul Gandhi in Berlin: “PM Modi has the backing of many Indians. Many disagree with his ideology and vision of India. The vision has a lot of issues, and we believe it will fail. There will be a great deal of tension.” — ANI (@ANI), December 22, 2025

#WATCH | Berlin, Germany | Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi says, “There is a wholesale capture of our institutional framework. Our intelligence agencies, ED and CBI have been weaponised. ED and CBI have zero cases against BJP and most of the political cases are against the people who… pic.twitter.com/ffaoEamAPI

— ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2025

BJP Responds

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari criticized Gandhi’s remarks, questioning whether someone who truly loves India would wish for its failure. On X, Bhandari accused Gandhi and his “ideological patron George Soros” of fostering chaos and uniting anti-India forces abroad.

“We think people will fight with each other. We think India will fail,” Bhandari said, sharing Gandhi’s comments from Berlin. BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje also called Gandhi “anti-Indian” and said, “He travels abroad and speaks against the nation. What does he hope to accomplish with this? He still acts like a child, not a leader.”

#WATCH | Karnataka’s Bidar Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje responds: “Rahul Gandhi is not the Leader of Opposition but an anti-India leader who goes abroad and speaks against the nation. What does he hope to accomplish with this?” — ANI (@ANI), December 23, 2025

#WATCH | Berlin, Germany | Addressing at Hertie School on “Politics Is The Art Of Listening”, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi says, “We have won elections in Telangana, Himachal Pradesh. We have been raising issues as far as the fairness of elections in India is concerned. I have done… pic.twitter.com/5mNIkcslXx

— ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2025

The exchange underscores the intensifying political debate as Gandhi continues to challenge the credibility of India’s electoral and institutional systems while the BJP defends its governance and calls for national unity.

#WATCH | Berlin, Germany | Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi says, “A number of people in India support PM Modi. A lot of do not agree with his ideology and the vision of India that he has. We think the vision will fail and it has tremendous problems. It will create massive tensions in… pic.twitter.com/WXHve6aWS1

— ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2025