BJP Leader Nalin Kohli Responds to Sonia Gandhi’s Editorial on Election Results
New Delhi, India, June 29: BJP leader Nalin Kohli criticized Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s recent editorial in a leading English daily. In her editorial, Sonia Gandhi claimed that Prime Minister Modi’s third term was not part of the electoral outcome, as there is no evidence to prove it.
Kohli countered her claims, stating that while Sonia Gandhi may perceive the election results as favorable to Congress, the public has decisively given a mandate to the BJP, marking it a clear victory for the ruling party and a defeat for Congress. Kohli said, “There are two perspectives: one where Sonia might believe it is their victory or message to Modi, but another perspective is that the people have decided that Modi should continue to lead the country, making it a victory for BJP and a defeat for Congress.”
In the 2024 general elections, BJP’s victory tally was much lower than its 2019 tally of 303 and the 282 seats it had won in 2014. The Congress, on the other hand, registered strong growth, winning 99 seats compared to 52 in 2019 and 44 in 2014.
Highlighting the democratic values enshrined in the Indian Constitution, Kohli said, “The beauty of the Indian Constitution is that under Article 19, every individual has the freedom to express their views. Sonia Gandhi has also exercised that right, and no one has imposed any restrictions on what she has said.”
Refuting allegations of an “undeclared emergency” frequently raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Kohli said that it is false. “Since there have been no restrictions, what does it mean when Rahul repeatedly says there is an undeclared emergency in this country? It is false because there is no undeclared emergency. The only time an emergency was declared was in 1975, imposed by Indira Gandhi,” Kohli said.
Kohli further asserted that the repeated rejection of the Congress party by the electorate is a testament to the public’s support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. “The perspective of Sonia Gandhi and Indira Gandhi is one. However, there is another perspective in viewing the election results, which is that the people of India have rejected the Congress party for the third time. In 2014, 2019, and 2024, the number of seats the Congress party won in these three elections is less than what Modi won in 2024 alone. What does this mean? It means that the people of India want Modi to continue the work he started in 2014 and to advance further. This mandate is for him,” Kohli added.
Earlier in the day, highlighting the editorial by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition and party president Mallikarjun Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not “reflecting” on the message given to him by voters in the recent parliamentary elections. Kharge posted on social media platform X, “There is no evidence that the Prime Minister has come to terms with the electoral outcome or has reflected on the message sent to him by voters,” quoting Sonia Gandhi’s editorial titled “Preaching consensus, provoking confrontation.”
