As the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ completed nine days in Bihar, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday once again accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “vote theft”. He said “it started in Gujarat and in 2014, it spread across the country.”
Addressing a gathering in Madhubani as part of the ongoing ‘Voter Adhikaar Yatra’ in Bihar, Rahul Gandhi said, “I don’t lie. I only say things when I have facts before me.” Taking a swipe at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Congress leader questioned repeated claims about the BJP remaining in power for the next 40 to 50 years.
“Amit Shah has said many times that the BJP government will last for 40-50 years. So, it got me thinking, how does he know that they will be in power for 40-50 years? This was a strange statement. Today, the truth has come out before the country that they (BJP) do ‘vote chori’. It will come out someday that this theft started in Gujarat, it came to the national level in 2014, and to other states,” Gandhi said.
Intensifying his claims, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha accused the ruling BJP in the centre of bringing in a legislation in 2023 that provides immunity to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other ECs from any legal action. Referring to the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, Gandhi said that the legislation was brought so these people can “fearlessly commit theft of votes.” “In the Maharashtra and Haryana assembly elections, they changed the dates first. I have sat down with Modi. Their way to appoint the Election Commissioner is that Modi will choose. They make the LoP sit down, who can’t do anything. In 2023, the BJP quietly brought in a new legislation, which said that no case or judicial inquiry (or probe) can be carried out against the Election Commissioner. This legislation was brought so these people can fearlessly commit theft (of votes),” the Congress leader said.
The 16-day ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav at its forefront, aims to raise awareness about alleged irregularities in the voter list, which opposition leaders have termed a case of vote chori (vote theft). Covering over 1,300 km across 20 districts, the yatra is scheduled to conclude in Patna on September 1. Bihar Assembly elections are expected later this year, although the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date. While the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), consisting of the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, aims to retain power in Bihar, the INDIA bloc, consisting of the RJD, Congress, and left parties, is seeking to unseat Nitish Kumar. In the current Bihar Assembly of 243 members, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) consists of 131, with the BJP having 80 MLAs, JD(U)-45, and HAM(S)-4, with the support of 2 Independent Candidates. The Opposition’s INDIA Bloc comprises 111 members, with the RJD leading with 77 MLAs, followed by Congress with 19, CPI(ML) with 11, CPI(M) with 2, and CPI with 2.
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