Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday began his 16-day long “Voter Adhikar Yatra” from Sasaram in poll-bound Bihar.
Addressing the gathering here at the launch event of his 1,300 km yatra covering over 20 districts in Bihar, Rahul said while he was asked to submit an affidavit after his press conference exposing "vote chori", no such demand was made from BJP leaders who made claims in their presser.
He also said the country now knows that the Election Commission is "stealing" elections in collusion with the BJP and asserted that the INDIA bloc will not let them succeed in their "conspiracy" to steal Bihar Assembly polls by voter additions and deletions through the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
"Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are being stolen and their last conspiracy is to delete and add voters through SIR to steal the elections in Bihar," the Congress MP said. "We will not let them steal the election in Bihar. People of Bihar will not let them steal elections. Poor only have the power of vote and will not let them steal polls.”
The Congress leader alleged that in the whole of India, the RSS and BJP are trying to "destroy" the Constitution and it is a fight to save the Constitution.
"In every election BJP wins. In Maharashtra all opinion polls said the INDIA bloc will win. In the Lok Sabha, our alliance had won but after four months in same Maharashtra, BJP alliance swept the polls as one crore voters were added and wherever such additions happened BJP won," he said.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said “BJP and RSS are dangerous for poor people, women and youths. BJP is troubling us everywhere, be it in textbooks or universities. The governors have become ‘Chamcha’ of the government.”
"As long as the BJP-led government is in power, the Constitution is under threat and people's rights are not safe. They are trying to snatch the right to vote. The EC is working like an agent of the Modi government," he alleged.
"The PM praised RSS and said that it has been serving the nation for the last 100 years... But this organisation worked with the British. They supported those who were against India's freedom. Congress always fought for people's rights and will continue to do so," he added.
Speaking at the rally, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said that the BJP was taking the EC’s help to remove the genuine voters from the draft rolls and was cheating the people in the name of SIR.”
“Attempts are not only being made to take away the voting rights but to snatch your existence as well. But I promise you people that I will not allow them to do so. Will not allow irregularities in Bihar,” said Tejashwi.
“Narendra Modi wants to apply Choona to the people of Bihar but he does not know that in Bihari, Choona is used in Khaini (chewing tobacco) and eaten by people over here,” said the RJD leader.
While speaking at the rally, RJD chief Lalu Prasad said “Throw out the thieves and BJP to save Bihar. Strengthen the democracy.”
After Lalu's speech, Rahul Gandhi, Tejaswi Yadav, Lalu Prasad and other leaders of INDIA bloc flagged off Voter Adhikar Yatra.