Gorakhpur (UP): BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday accused opposition parties of making excuses for their electoral defeats and took jibes at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, saying “today’s youth have rejected such princes”.
Addressing an NDA rally during the party’s ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ campaign in Gorakhpur, Nabin said the two “princes” of Uttar Pradesh — Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav — had a record of misdeeds that people in the state and the country remembered.
Further attacking Gandhi, Nabin said he was a “part-time politician” who remained politically active only during elections, unlike BJP workers who continued public service throughout the year.
Referring to the opposition’s November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, he claimed that it failed to draw even 10 per cent of the crowd its organisers had projected.
In contrast, he said, the BJP and its NDA allies were holding large marches in districts and towns across the country, which, according to him, reflected the alliance’s strength and public support.
Targeting Gandhi, Nabin said he could continue to spread lies, but the country had changed under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He claimed that 140 crore people regarded Modi as their PM and as a “chowkidar” protecting their homes, families and the country.
On the opposition’s allegations concerning the SIR exercise, Nabin said parties that had lost elections were blaming the revision instead of examining their own organisational weaknesses.
He asked why they had suffered electoral defeats before 2025 as well, when the current SIR exercise had not been conducted.
The opposition parties would not have been in their present position had they worked among people and remained connected with their party workers, he said.
He also referred to the Election Commission’s challenge to Gandhi to demonstrate alleged EVM manipulation at a venue of his choice, claiming that the Congress leader did not accept the challenge and left the field.
Referring to the Bihar elections, Nabin claimed that Gandhi had already left the political field after the publication of the electoral rolls.
He also targeted RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, referring to him as the “prince of Bihar”, and said young voters were rejecting such leaders (Yuva aise Yuvraajon ko nakaar raha hai).
Nabin questioned the opposition’s claim that around 13 crore names had been removed from electoral rolls.
Citing figures during his address, he claimed that 2.5 crore entries related to deceased voters and around six crore to people who had shifted from their registered addresses. He further referred to more than three crore people whose addresses, he claimed, could not be confirmed when attempts were made to contact them.
He also alleged that around three crore “infiltrators” were in the voter list and accused opposition parties of trying to protect them for electoral gains.
The BJP and NDA workers would oppose the inclusion of such people in electoral rolls, he said, alleging that the opposition was seeking votes from deceased persons, people who had shifted and alleged infiltrators.
The BJP chief also invoked Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s analogy of a student repeatedly making excuses for failing examinations.
Nabin said that in the opposition’s case, “not only the rocket but even its launching pad was faulty, producing leaders who repeatedly failed to make an electoral impact”.
He also accused opposition leaders of questioning the Election Commission and alleging EVM manipulation instead of accepting electoral verdicts.
Accusing the Congress of failing to fulfil its promise of eradicating poverty, Nabin alleged that the party had instead kept poor people away from development.
He contrasted its record with the work undertaken under Modi and Adityanath, claiming that both the country and Uttar Pradesh were progressing under their leadership.
Nabin said he had campaigned in Uttar Pradesh during the 2012, 2017 and 2022 elections and had witnessed people repeatedly rejecting opposition parties.
He accused them of failing to learn from electoral defeats and resorting to what he described as crocodile tears and excuses.
