Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R. Ashoka on Wednesday, 7 October declared that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was unfit to serve as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, accusing him of repeatedly undermining constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission of India (ECI). Ashoka made the remarks in Chitradurga while reacting to Congress-led protests in Delhi against the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Ashoka's Attack on Congress and Rahul Gandhi

Ashoka argued that street protests could not be the mechanism for removing officials of constitutional bodies, stressing that the law prescribes a clear impeachment procedure. 'The Election Commission is an independent and constitutional body. Impeachment procedures have been laid down under the Constitution. It cannot be done randomly. Parliament has to be convened, the alleged mistake has to be explained, and the motion has to secure a majority before being sent to the President,' he said.

Drawing a parallel, he contended that just as allegations against Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar could not lead to his removal through roadside demonstrations, the same constitutional logic applied to Election Commissioners. He alleged that Rahul Gandhi treated the Election Commission as efficient and credible whenever Congress won elections, only to question its independence after electoral defeats.

SIR Controversy and Kerala Counter-Argument

Ashoka pointed to recent election outcomes to challenge Congress's narrative on electoral irregularities. 'In Karnataka, Congress won. Was the election right? If you have doubts, let them resign and face elections. In Kerala, elections were held after SIR and Congress got a majority, while the BJP did not even win three seats. If election irregularities could have been carried out, the BJP could have secured a comfortable majority,' he said.

His remarks came in the context of the Congress party's broader campaign alleging that the SIR process — a revision of the Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls — had been conducted in a manner that disadvantaged certain voter groups. The BJP has rejected those claims.

Shivakumar Targeted Over Seer Remarks and Media Row

Ashoka also trained his guns on Chief Minister Shivakumar over reported remarks in which the latter allegedly stated that seers belonging to the Veerashaiva and Lingayat communities should render services to him, given that there was no one like him to champion their causes. Shivakumar has since claimed his statement was misrepresented, but Ashoka was dismissive. 'The statement is there on video. Now he says his statement was twisted. If you have any shame, apologise. Blaming the media will not help,' Ashoka said.

He further alleged that Shivakumar had engineered the removal of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah from the top post and was now attempting to deflect scrutiny by targeting journalists. Ashoka also challenged the Chief Minister to make similar remarks before an audience of Muslim clerics, alleging selective targeting of Hindus.

BJP Confidence Ahead of 2028 Karnataka Polls

Expressing firm optimism about the 2028 Karnataka Assembly elections, Ashoka said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was certain to return to power in the state. 'Even 100 Shivakumars will not be able to stop it,' he said.

Ashoka also spoke about the Seva Jyothi programme being organised nationally, noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had undertaken the Seva Sankalp Yatra to honour the poor, the marginalised, and frontline workers such as Anganwadi staff. He was participating in the programme in Chitradurga on Wednesday, marking PM Modi's 25 years in public life as Chief Minister and Prime Minister. As the political temperature in Karnataka rises ahead of the next election cycle, Ashoka's broadside signals that the BJP intends to keep both state and national Congress leaders under sustained pressure.