Mumbai, Nov 30 (IANS): Congress leader Bhai Jagtap has defended his controversial remarks about the Election Commission of India (ECI), which sparked a major political controversy. Jagtap, who referred to the ECI as 'dog' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has refused to back down, asserting "his statement reflects the sentiments of crores of people".

Backing his remarks, Jagtap -- a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, told IANS: "I am firm on my statement. This is not just Bhai Jagtap’s statement, but the sentiments of crores of people."

He accused the ECI of undermining democracy and creating confusion in voters' minds, particularly after the Maharashtra Assembly election results.

"The Election Commission is supposed to strengthen our democracy, not cause doubts," Jagtap added, questioning why the ECI did not act on alleged violations such as BJP leader Ram Shinde's comments on "involvement of money in the electoral process".

He also raised concerns over the ECI's decision to erase Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) data and conduct mock polling, urging the poll body to address these issues.

Bhai Jagtap also responded to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks at the Congress Working Committee meeting about the party's 'below-expectation' performance, wherein Kharge questioned the over-reliance on national leaders and urged party workers to focus more on local issues.

Jagtap agreed with Kharge, saying: "What he said is true. Every political party needs to evaluate itself for improvement. If both Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi feel this way, it’s important that we address our weaknesses."

On the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) decision not to play in Pakistan in the upcoming Champions Trophy, Jagtap, a "former cricketer" himself, insisted that sports should not be politicised. "It's a BCCI decision, and they know best about it."