Bihar polls: Rahul haunted by fear of another defeat, says Anurag Thakur

Former Union minister Anurag Thakur attacked Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, saying the Congress has already lost around 90 elections under his leadership and he is now haunted by the fear of another defeat in the upcoming Bihar polls.

Speaking at a private event held in Hamirpur, the BJP MP alleged that Gandhi blames VVPATs or EVMs after every electoral defeat, and "now, even before the polls, he is making baseless statements about the Election Commission of India".

"It is very unfortunate if the opposition leaders have lost faith in the country's constitutional framework," he said.

Thakur asserted that work to strengthen the constitutional institutions was undertaken during the tenure of the BJP-led governments.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made efforts to bring strict laws against corrupt leaders.

In a veiled dig at AAP leaders, Thakur said that in Delhi, some ministers continued to sign files and take decisions from jail itself which is not good for the world's largest democracy.

"Corrupt leaders must step down from their positions," he said in apparent reference to the bills that provide a legal framework for the removal of the prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers on arrest for 30 consecutive days on serious charges.

Responding to a question, Thakur said that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge should focus on holding constructive discussions in Parliament as people's money is spent on its proceedings.