NDA Says Rahul Gandhi Can Meet President but Questions Remarks on Their Conversation

October 10, 2026

New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Saturday questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s public remarks about his meeting with President Droupadi Murmu, saying that while he had the right to meet the President, he should not disclose or comment on what was discussed during the meeting.

The reaction came a day after a delegation of INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, met President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted a memorandum alleging electoral irregularities involving Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and attempts to undermine Indian democracy.

After the meeting, Gandhi said the President had asked the Opposition delegation to provide evidence supporting its allegations of vote chori (vote theft), amid the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

BJP Leader Questions Rahul Gandhi’s Remarks

BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy questioned the propriety of publicly sharing details of a conversation with the President, arguing that such remarks could raise concerns about the dignity of the constitutional office.

Rudy said Gandhi had the right to meet the President as Leader of the Opposition but questioned his decision to comment publicly on what she had said. He also questioned the accuracy of Gandhi’s account of the conversation.

Bihar BJP Chief Questions Evidence on SIR

Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi also criticised the Opposition’s allegations, saying that meeting the President was a constitutional right but questioning whether the delegation had presented evidence to support its claims regarding the electoral roll revision exercise.

Saraogi said the SIR process takes around 150 days and includes the publication of draft electoral rolls and a period for filing objections. He also claimed that around 20 lakh names had been deleted across the country and referred to Form 7, which can be used to raise objections to the inclusion of names in electoral rolls.

Meanwhile, Janata Dal (United) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan said political parties in a democracy were free to express their views but argued that Opposition parties should also reflect on their political standing and relationship with voters.

INDIA Bloc Delegation Raises Electoral Concerns

The delegation that met President Murmu included Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule, CPI-M general secretary M.A. Baby, RJD Rajya Sabha member Manoj Kumar Jha, CPI general secretary D. Raja, Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai and VCK president and MP Thirumaavalavan Tholkappiyan, among others.

The meeting followed several days of Opposition protests against the Election Commission and the SIR of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have alleged irregularities in the electoral process and continued to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The NDA leaders’ remarks reflect the political disagreement over the Opposition’s allegations and Rahul Gandhi’s account of his conversation with the President.