Paperman Media । Sambalpur
Former Union Education Minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday accused the Congress and the INDIA bloc of spreading a false narrative of ‘vote theft’ to conceal their repeated electoral defeats and political frustration.
Addressing a public meeting after participating in the ‘Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy’ march organised by the Sambalpur district BJP, Pradhan called for a mass movement to protect democracy and oppose what he described as political anarchy.
He alleged that Congress leaders accept Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the Election Commission when they win elections but question constitutional institutions when they lose. He said people had understood this double standard.
Criticising the Opposition's objections to electoral roll revision, Pradhan questioned whether Congress wanted to win elections by relying on deceased voters, people who had changed addresses and illegal infiltrators. He accused the party of attempting to protect illegal entrants and bogus voters.
Pradhan further said that India's democratic system had enabled a tribal woman from Odisha, Droupadi Murmu, to become the President of India, while a person from a humble background could rise to become Prime Minister.
He asserted that the march was aimed at protecting Odisha's pride and identity, besides strengthening democracy across the country. He also said that India's development journey under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership would continue despite opposition criticism.
Odisha Panchayati Raj, Rural Development and Drinking Water Minister Ravi Narayan Naik, Sambalpur MLA Jayanarayan Mishra and district BJP president Ramchandra Meher, among other party leaders and workers, participated in the march.
