BJP president accuses Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders of making excuses for electoral defeats; says Modi and Yogi enjoy the people's confidence
GORAKHPUR, November 2026 : BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on opposition parties, accusing them of questioning democratic institutions and making excuses for electoral defeats instead of accepting the people's mandate. Declaring that India would be led by leaders rooted in the soil rather than political dynasties, he asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath represented the country's future.
Addressing the NDA's 'Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao' campaign in Gorakhpur, attended by alliance partners Nishad Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Nabin said the opposition's 'vote chori' campaign was an attempt to divert attention from its own organisational shortcomings. He maintained that voters, particularly the younger generation, were increasingly rejecting leaders who relied on family backgrounds and political inheritance.
Taking direct aim at Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Nabin described him as a "part-time politician" who became active primarily during election periods. In contrast, he said, BJP workers remained engaged in public service throughout the year, irrespective of whether elections were taking place.
He also targeted Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, referring to them as political heirs or 'yuvraj'.
"Rahul Gandhi, Indian democracy is so powerful that however many 'tathakathit Yuvraj' (so-called princes) like you emerge, they will come and go. It is the sons of this soil, Modi and Adityanath, who will lead the country," Nabin said.
He claimed that Modi and Adityanath enjoyed the confidence of 140 crore Indians and had worked consistently for public welfare.
BJP chief questions opposition's 'vote chori' allegations
Nabin accused opposition parties of blaming the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls for their election losses rather than examining their own political performance. He questioned why these parties had suffered defeats even before 2025, when the current SIR exercise had not been undertaken.
Referring to the INDIA bloc's November 1 rally in Delhi, the BJP president claimed that it failed to attract even 10 per cent of the crowd its organisers had projected. In contrast, he said, the BJP and its NDA partners were organising large public marches in districts and towns across the country, reflecting the alliance's strength and public support.
He also referred to the Election Commission's challenge to Rahul Gandhi to demonstrate alleged EVM manipulation at a venue of his choice. Nabin claimed that Gandhi had failed to accept the challenge and had withdrawn from the contest.
On the Bihar elections, he alleged that Gandhi had already left the political field after the publication of the electoral rolls. Targeting Tejashwi Yadav, whom he described as the 'prince of Bihar', Nabin said young voters were rejecting leaders who depended on political inheritance.
Questioning the opposition's claim that around 13 crore names had been deleted from electoral rolls, Nabin cited figures to argue that the revision involved different categories of entries. He claimed that approximately 2.5 crore entries related to deceased voters, while around six crore concerned people who had shifted from their registered addresses.
He further claimed that more than three crore people could not be contacted to verify their addresses. Nabin also alleged that around three crore "infiltrators" were present on the voter list and accused opposition parties of attempting to protect them for electoral gains.
These figures and allegations were part of the BJP president's address and were not independently established during the event.
Rahul Gandhi, opposition leaders targeted over electoral performance
Nabin invoked an analogy used by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, comparing opposition leaders to students who repeatedly make excuses for failing examinations instead of acknowledging their shortcomings.
Referring to Adityanath's comparison of Rahul Gandhi with a failed rocket launch, the BJP president said the problem was not limited to the rocket but extended to its launching pad as well. He used the analogy to allege that the Congress leadership repeatedly failed to make an electoral impact.
He accused opposition leaders of questioning the Election Commission and alleging EVM manipulation instead of accepting election results. According to Nabin, repeatedly blaming democratic institutions after electoral defeats demonstrated the opposition's unwillingness to undertake introspection.
The BJP president also criticised the Congress over its historical record on poverty eradication. He alleged that despite promising to eliminate poverty, the party had kept poor people away from the benefits of development.
Contrasting this with the work undertaken under Modi and Adityanath, Nabin claimed that both the country and Uttar Pradesh were progressing under their leadership. He accused opposition parties of failing to learn from successive electoral setbacks and resorting to what he described as crocodile tears and excuses.
Congress accused of disrespecting Constitution and Ambedkar
Nabin also questioned the Congress's credentials on protecting the Constitution. He alleged that the party had changed laws to nullify the Allahabad High Court's verdict against former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's election.
He further accused the Nehru-Gandhi family of humiliating Dr B.R. Ambedkar by working against his electoral victories, despite the party now invoking the Constitution in its political campaigns.
"Today, they go around carrying copies of the Constitution and lecture others on it," he said.
The BJP chief also targeted Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav over their conduct during the COVID-19 pandemic. He alleged that both leaders remained indoors while BJP workers were on the ground helping people.
Nabin claimed that opposition leaders had initially criticised the COVID-19 vaccine associated with the Modi government but later took it themselves. He expressed confidence that voters would reject what he described as the opposition's contradictory political positions.
'Democracy's roots are deep; attempts to destabilise India will fail'
Warning against what he described as attempts to destabilise the country, Nabin said India's democratic institutions were strong and firmly rooted.
"India's democracy is strong, its roots are deep, and your nefarious intentions will never succeed," he said.
He questioned what he called the opposition's selective criticism of democratic institutions. According to him, opposition parties accepted electoral outcomes when they won in states such as Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka but questioned democratic processes after losing in Haryana, Maharashtra and Bihar.
Targeting Gandhi's leadership of the Congress, Nabin claimed that several party leaders were unhappy with his decisions but lacked the courage to challenge the Nehru-Gandhi family.
"If Rahul Gandhi continues to lead in this manner, I would say congratulations to the Congress. A time will come when there will be nobody left even to take the party's name," he remarked.
Nabin further accused Gandhi of being used as part of a "foreign toolkit" to destabilise India and challenge the people's mandate. He said more than 100 BJP-NDA marches had been organised across Uttar Pradesh to demonstrate public support for the alliance.
The BJP president also questioned the opposition's moral authority to criticise Modi's leadership, citing development initiatives in Amethi and Kerala. He said the Prime Minister had served the country with dedication and commitment for 25 years and challenged opposition parties to examine their own record before questioning his leadership.
Throughout his address, Nabin sought to frame the NDA campaign as a defence of democratic institutions and the people's mandate, while portraying the opposition's allegations of electoral irregularities as an attempt to explain away its political setbacks.
