New Delhi (IANS) Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi addressed a huge rally against “Vote Chori” here on Sunday, repeating his allegations of electoral manipulation by the BJP and its “collusion” with the ECI.
They resort to “vote chori” with help from the ECI, said Gandhi, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered full immunity to “colluding” Election Commission officials by amending the law. He named the Chief Election Commissioner and the two Election Commissioners from the dais at Ramlila Maidan, claiming that PM Modi has said that no action can be taken against them, no matter what these officials do.
Without naming the ruling party, Gandhi alleged that while voting is taking place, they give Rs 10,000. “They look confident only till they are in power,” he said, recalling Mahatma Gandhi’s observation that truth is supreme.
“I guarantee you that by putting our force behind truth and upholding the ideology of the Hindu religion and all other religions that describe truth as supreme, we will remove them from power,” he said.
Congress General Secretary and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday lashed out at the ruling party for alleged vote theft, and dared the BJP to win an election using ballot papers. She called upon people to revolt against alleged electoral irregularities.
Addressing the Congress party’s “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhor” rally at Ramlila Maidan, the Wayanad MP said, “It is very important to understand what a vote is. What is its value in our lives?”
“A vote is your right to elect a government and bring it down,” she said, alleging that attempts are being made to take away this right from people. “When Rahulji and Khargeji sought a debate in Parliament on vote theft through EVMs, they got scared,” she said.
She also accused the government of diverting public attention to avoid discussion in Parliament on public issues like inflation, unemployment and paper leak. “The government has failed on multiple fronts,” she said.
“They do not have the guts to discuss these issues because they know that they cannot win even a single fair election – using ballot paper,” said Priyanka Gandhi. Urging Congress supporters not to feel disheartened by the party’s defeat in the Bihar elections, she said, “As Rahul Gandhi said in a press conference, they win only through vote theft.” She said they won by deleting the names of 65 lakh voters through the process of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Targeting the Election Commission of India (ECI) for allowing rival parties to violate the model code of conduct, the Congress General Secretary said, “They were delivering Rs 10,000 even while the model code was in force and the ECI was looking the other way. If this is not ‘vote chori’, what else will be?”
She said that the judiciary, media, parliament, political parties, the Opposition, and the Election Commission are there to protect democracy. “But these institutions are being crushed, and it needs a collective fight by the people to save these institutions and safeguard their own future,” she said.
Priyanka Gandhi said that in the previous elections, Chief Ministers were jailed, the Congress party’s bank account was frozen, and all sorts of allegations were levelled to force rivals to join their party.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said the BJP and the RSS are sowing seeds of venom through their divisive ideology, and the Congress is committed to upholding its own ideology and will remove the BJP from power.
He accused BJP leaders of drama and of being incapable of replicating Rahul Gandhi’s achievement of undertaking an 800 km yatra, meeting the poor, and caring for them.
Pointing to the Congress party’s good show in the recent Kerala local elections, Kharge shouted slogans of “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhor” and “Vande Mataram” and said the people have to boldly fight the BJP and each worker of the Congress will join the effort to dislodge the rivals who have come to power through “Vote Chori”. He said the BJP wants to take away poor people’s right to vote and continue to occupy the seat of power through malpractices.
Kharge said the BJP always alleges that Rahul Gandhi goes abroad after the Parliament session, but PM Modi himself goes on foreign trips when the House is in session, without answering any of the questions raised by the LoP and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The Congress president also asked party workers not to be scared by probe agencies allegedly unleashed against them.
Kharge said the BJP and RSS never took part in the freedom struggle, and now they are trying to mislead people over Vande Mataram and “friction” between former PM Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
