Rahul Gandhi's interview an act of desperation: BJP

NEW DELHI: The BJP today said Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi has turned so "desperate" fearing defeat in the Gujarat polls that he "violated" the Model Code of Conduct to give interviews to the media a day before the last phase of the elections.

Union minister Piyush Goyal told a press conference that the Election Commission should act following these interviews and claimed that the undercurrent which Gandhi said was present in Gujarat, will work against the Congress and the BJP will win over 150 seats in the 182-seat assembly.

Results of the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections are scheduled to be announced on December 18.


"Congress is so scared and Rahul Gandhi is desperate to save his face. That is why he violated the Model Code of Conduct and gave interviews. We don't think such interviews are allowed in the 48 hours prior to polls. We have never given such interviews," Goyal said.

He also trained guns at the Opposition party over the conviction of former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda by a court today in a coal block allocation corruption case.

He further cited the arrest of a former Congress MLA in an alleged case of money laundering following the demonetisation decision to hit out at the party.

"It is now very clear why the Congress has been attacking the government over its campaign against corruption," Goyal said, asking the party leadership to come clean on these cases.

Koda, he said, was an independent and "propped up" as chief minister by senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel.

Goyal also referred to the charges against former Congress MLA Rajesh, who was elected to the Delhi assembly three times.

An Enforcement Directorate probe has found that he allegedly routed and laundered black money to the tune of over Rs 8 crore post demonetisation.