Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, during an address to the Indian diaspora in Boston on Sunday raised concerns about the integrity of India’s electoral process, drawing a sharp attack from the ruling BJP.

Rahul alleged that the Election Commission is no longer impartial and suggested there are serious flaws in the system.

“It is very clear to us that the Election Commission is compromised, and it is very clear that there is something wrong with the system. I have said this multiple times….” he said.

Referring to the Maharashtra Assembly elections as an example, Rahul claimed irregularities in voter turnout data and raised questions on the BJP-led coalition's victory that had surprised many because the BJP had fared very poorly in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha elections held barely months before.

“More people voted in the Maharashtra Assembly elections than there are adults in Maharashtra,” Rahul alleged.

“The Election Commission gave us a voting figure for 5:30pm and between 5:30pm and 7:30pm, 65 lakh voters voted. This is physically impossible to happen. For a voter to vote, it takes approx 3 minutes, and if you do the math it would mean that there were lines of voters till 2am, but this did not happen...When we asked them for the videography, they not only refused but they also changed the law so that now we are not allowed to ask for the videography..,” Rahul pointed out.

BJP takes traitor jibe at Rahul

The BJP reacted sharply and accused Rahul of venting out his frustration over the Enforcement Directorate action in the National Herald case.

"You are venting the ire over the Enforcement Directorate's (action in the National Herald case) on the Election Commission. Nothing will happen by doing so," BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said.

"The ED will not spare you because agencies work on the basis of facts and the National Herald matter is an open and shut case. You will not be spared. You and your mother will be caught with proceeds of crime and sent to jail," he said at a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Delhi.

Both Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi will go behind the bars in the National Herald case, he asserted.

"You are a traitor, not just because you insult Indian institutions and Indian democracy on foreign soil but also because you and your mother have embezzled crores of rupees of the country in the National Herald case. You and your mother will not be able to get away with this," Patra said.

Union minister Pralhad Joshi in a social media post said: “Rahul Gandhi has once again exposed his true colours as a serial offender on foreign soil. Every time he travels abroad, he spares no opportunity to demean India, insulting its democracy and question its Constitutional institutions. Such repeated attacks clearly reflect his deep-rooted Anti-India mindset. No responsible leader maligns their own country on global platforms. Rahul Gandhi’s obsession criticising India overseas is disgraceful. He owes an apology to the nation.”

Another BJP leader, Shehzad Poonawalla, in a video post, said, "Rahul Gandhi is a serial offender. He has taken supari against Indian institutions. Every time he’s on foreign soil, in BJP virodh he undertakes badnami of Bharat. If he wins an election, ECI is fine. If he wins a court case,judiciary is fine. Otherwise, he will abuse and insult Indian institutions. First, he says I will fight Indian state and now he is doing badnami of Bharat."

Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said, "Let Rahul Gandhi decide that when they won in Jharkhand, was there a different Election Commission in the country? Wherever they win, they say that the EVM is fine and wherever they are losing, they say that the Election Commission and the EVM are wrong..."

UP minister O.P. Rajbhar also weighed in, telling PTI: "When there used to be their government, they used to make winning leaders lose, losing leaders win, that is what he knows, and that is why he is speaking."

Rahul Gandhi is interacting with business and community members on his US visit. He will visit Brown University in Rhode Island on April 21-22.

At Brown, Rahul will give a talk and interact with faculty members and students.