In a sharp rebuttal to Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday accused the Congress party of trying to win elections with the help of "Bangladeshi infiltrators." His comments came in response to Rahul Gandhi's recent remarks questioning the credibility of the Election Commission after the Congress’s defeat in the Bihar Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking to the media, Pradhan said, "The Congress party wants to win elections with the help of Bangladeshi infiltrators. They lost elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Delhi. They won elections in Karnataka and Himachal. There was no theft at that time." He implied that the Congress only raises allegations of election rigging when it faces defeat.

Targeting Rahul Gandhi directly, Pradhan added, "If you are rejected, you will accuse the Election Commission of theft. Rahul Gandhi, your family is against the Constitution. Your family imposed Emergency because the court declared your grandmother's election illegal."

He accused Rahul Gandhi of making controversial statements to deflect from the party’s poor performance in Bihar, stating, "You are now saying this to hide your defeat in the Bihar elections."