Detonate ‘atom bomb’ proof, Rajnath dares LoP

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for claiming to have an "atom bomb of evidence" which would prove that the Election Commission was committing “vote theft” in Bihar.

Addressing a function organised by a media house in the state capital, Singh also likened the upcoming assembly polls to a crossroad, “with one path (under NDA) leading to further progress and another (under the INDIA bloc) taking Bihar back to its old era of lawlessness and caste strife”.

“Rahul Gandhi says he is in possession of an atom bomb. If it is so, he should detonate it at once. He should just ensure that he is himself out of harm's way”, said the former BJP president, tongue in cheek. He added that the nation remembers his past rhetoric.

“He had threatened Parliament of an earthquake, but when he spoke, it turned out to be a damp squib,” the minister said, adding the Election Commission was an institution that enjoyed a reputation for unquestionable integrity.

“It is pulling out all the stops to ensure that the upcoming Assembly polls in the state are held in a free and fair manner. It does not behove the Leader of the Opposition to make frivolous statements about a constitutional body,” the BJP leader said.

He reminded the Congress leader that “his own party has blood on its hands, having tried to murder democracy in 1975 with the imposition of Emergency”.

The senior BJP leader also showered encomiums on alliance partner Nitish Kumar for helping the state turn the corner during his 20 years' rule in Bihar. “Under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, Bihar is no longer seen as a basket case. Even an internationally reputed magazine like The Economist, which had once condemned the state as the armpit of India, is now taking note of its turnaround,” said Singh.