Rahul's Haryana vote theft claim 'baseless', attempt to defame country: BJP
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Wednesday dismissed Rahul Gandhi's allegation of mass vote theft in the Haryana Assembly Polls as "false and baseless" and accused the Congress leader of raising questions on the Election Commission to hide his failures and defame the country's democracy.
Rijiju's retort came hours after Gandhi cited electoral list data from Haryana to claim that 25 lakh entries were "fake" and the victory in the state was "stolen" from his party last year.
Gandhi said he had "100 per cent" proof of the malfeasance he alleged.
Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, in a press conference, accused Gandhi of "playing games" in collusion with "anti-India" forces to defame the country.
He said Gandhi goes abroad during elections, does not meet people on the ground, and cries foul after his party loses.
He derided him as someone who cannot work hard or live among the people.
If there is any irregularity with the voting, then one must flag it with the EC or approach the court. "But he never does it," he said about the Congress leader.
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UAE condemns 'terrorist' attack on Indian-flagged vessel off Oman coast
Dubai (PTI): The UAE has condemned a strike on an Indian-flagged vessel off the coast of Oman, calling it a "terrorist attack" and a "dangerous escalation" that threatens the stability of critical waterways.
The commercial vessel, which was sailing from Somalia, came under attack on Wednesday, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs.
All 14 crew members were rescued by Omani authorities, but it was not immediately known who carried out the strike, it said.
"The UAE strongly condemns terrorist attack on Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman," the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement issued on Thursday. "This attack constitutes a grave threat to the security of international navigation and represents a dangerous escalation aimed at undermining the stability of critical waterways."
The incident took place amid the fragile situation in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway close to the coast of Oman through which roughly one-fifth of the world's energy supplies pass.
It has been severely disrupted by the conflict in West Asia that started on February 28, with the US and Israel launching joint attacks on Iran, triggering retaliatory strikes.
The MoFA further said that the attack on the India-flagged vessel on Wednesday was a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which affirms the importance of freedom of navigation and rejects the targeting of commercial vessels or the obstruction of international maritime routes.
It emphasised that "targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represent acts of piracy and constitute a direct threat to the stability of the region, its peoples, and global energy security".
The UAE expressed solidarity with India and its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding the security and safety of its vessels and interests, the statement said.
Earlier, India had described the attack as "unacceptable".
At least two other Indian-flagged ships have been attacked since the conflict broke out.
