Mumbai, Sep 26 (IANS) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Opposition, demanding an unconditional public apology from Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and leaders of the INDIA alliance for spreading what he termed “false and baseless allegations” against constitutional institutions.

Shinde asserted that the alliance’s politics relied on “fake narratives” to mislead citizens and malign national leadership. Referring to recent claims of internal rifts within the Election Commission of India (ECI), he said the Opposition’s attempt to celebrate false news had backfired, as the unanimous joint statement issued by all three Election Commissioners had “completely deflated the propaganda.”

“Using these false claims, Rahul Gandhi and his allies attempted to defame and target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Spreading calculated misinformation to weaken faith in democratic processes has become the habit of the Opposition,” Shinde said. He added that Rahul Gandhi must apologise to the nation for indulging in smear campaigns.

Shinde alleged that the INDI alliance consistently targeted democratic institutions, including the Election Commission and courts, whenever election results did not favour them. He accused opposition leaders of stoking mistrust, spreading rumours and attempting to confuse voters.

He asserted that 140 crore citizens stood firmly behind PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, rendering false allegations ineffective. “The aware public of the country clearly recognises these political games and will give a fitting reply at the appropriate time,” Shinde said, warning that attempts to undermine constitutional sanctity would lead to further political isolation of the Opposition.

Meanwhile, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and present BJP MP Ashok Chavan also criticised Rahul Gandhi over his statements on the poll panel. In his post on X, Chavan wrote: “One frustrated opposition leader, with a plethora of lies. Rahul Gandhi: ‘SIR was a unilateral decision.’ Meanwhile…ECI Press Note: ‘unanimous approval of the Commission.’ Plot twist: the receipts came from the institution itself.”

–IANS

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