In an exclusive interview with The Indian Express, Lahar Singh Siroya, a Karnataka BJP MP, has strongly rebutted continuing Congress claims of ‘vote chori’ (vote theft) and criticised its recent remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Siroya complained about Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s quip – ‘Modi ka baap bhi jayega‘ – at an event in Patna last week was meant to declare that even the Prime Minister would have to resign as protests mount against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the revision of state/UT voter rolls.BJP pushback over the remark was instant; the party announced national protests of its own and led with Union Home Minister Amit Shah accusing Kharge of breaching ‘all norms of decorum’. A Bihar BJP worker filed a police case against Kharge.On Kharge’s remarkAsked about that statement, Siroya suggested Kharge’s image back home – the Congress leader is from Karnataka – of a mature and responsible leader who never used inappropriate language had been dented. Masses of voters who had earlier been satisfied with his performance as a leader were now questioning it, he claimed.Siroya further claimed Kharge had ‘completely lost control of his language’ after becoming a national leader. “This kind of abusive language is unheard of in Karnataka culture or even in national political culture,” he said, claiming ‘constant humiliation’ by the Gandhi family and those close to it was to blame for the loss of restraint.RECAP | ‘Modi ka baap bhi jayega‘: Kharge remark sparks BJP furyHe also claimed a ‘who can insult Modi the most’ competition existed within the Congress, and that included Kharge’s son and Karnataka Home Affairs Minister Priyank Kharge. The Congress still believes, he declared, abuse is a political strategy.Story continues below this adOn ‘vote chori’ allegationsOn the vote theft charges and the planned anti-Gyanesh Kumar protest on November 1, Siroya called them’funny and childish’, and pointed to the BJP’s reduced seats between the 2014 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections – when it fell from 282 to 240.“If we had been experts at stealing votes, the number should have gone up…”It was the Congress, he claimed, that had ‘stolen votes’; he pointed to the party winnin 99 seats in 2024 by ‘stealing’ votes and resources from allies, such as the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu.On delimitation, allies, Karnataka politicsSiroya said he had no knowledge of a special session of Parliament for the delimitation bill, but stressed the topic had national importance.Story continues below this adEven Congress leaders had asked privately about the timeline, as a healthy democracy requires periodic delimitation, he said.Regarding reports of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar being in contact with NDA allies such as the TDP and JD(U), Siroya expressed strong scepticism. He said he knew leaders from both parties well and that they fully supported the Modi government.He recalled how Congress and the INDIA alliance had previously humiliated Nitish Kumar, briefly projecting him as a chief coordinator before abandoning him. “They know that to be an ally of Congress, you have to be a slave to Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family. Neither TDP nor Nitish Kumar will ever join them,” he said.He advised Shivakumar to focus on governing Karnataka rather than national manoeuvring, drawing a parallel with Narendra Modi’s time as Gujarat Chief Minister, when he concentrated on the state before being called to national leadership.Story continues below this adOn Sonia Gandhi’s bookFinally, asked about Sonia Gandhi’s upcoming autobiography (which he had commented on on X), Siroya said he had no insider details but believed she could not have written it herself.MUST READ | 'Bound to be some tamasha': Sonia Gandhi before memoir releaseHe observed that ghost-writing is common among politicians and claimed large sums were spent on anonymous writers. He expected the book to become a “laughing stock” if the content merely glorified her without substance.Siroya concluded that the NDA would strengthen while the INDIA alliance would weaken further due to internal contradictions and the Congress leadership’s approach.