Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin on Wednesday joined the Congress-led ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur, turning the march into a show of INDIA bloc unity.
Accompanied by his sister and DMK MP Kanimozhi, Stalin shared the stage with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, and CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya.
“Touchdown Bihar... the land of respected Lalu Prasad Ji greets me with fire in its eyes, the soil heavy with every stolen vote. Joined by my brothers Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' turns people's pain into unstoppable strength,” Stalin posted on X.
Stalin: BJP made elections a ‘mockery’
Addressing a rally, Stalin accused the BJP of subverting democracy.
“Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav have joined hands to protect democracy. The BJP-led NDA will be defeated in the upcoming assembly polls in Bihar,” he said.
He alleged that the deletion of names of 65 lakh voters from electoral rolls during the recent special revision was “more dangerous than terrorism”.
“For the past one month, the entire nation has been looking keenly at Bihar… the Election Commission has become a remote-controlled puppet,” Stalin charged, adding, “Is the deletion of names of 65 lakh people not worse than terrorism?”
He also vowed to return to Bihar to witness an INDIA bloc government being sworn in: “I promise you that after the INDIA bloc wins the assembly polls, I will be back to attend the swearing-in ceremony.”
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who rode a motorcycle with Tejashwi Yadav as the yatra entered Muzaffarpur, accused the BJP of winning polls through electoral manipulation.
“Gujarat model is about ‘vote chori’. The BJP started stealing people's votes from there. The BJP wins polls by stealing votes with the help of the EC,” Gandhi said.
He demanded accountability from the Election Commission: “The EC must explain why names of 65 lakh voters were deleted from electoral rolls in the state.”
The Congress MP also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi acted under US pressure, saying, “Modi immediately stopped India's action against terror camps in Pakistan following US President Donald Trump's directions.”
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was spotted riding pillion on her brother’s motorcycle, while Stalin recalled his late father M. Karunanidhi’s friendship with RJD chief Lalu Prasad and praised Tejashwi Yadav for “tirelessly championing social justice and never getting cowed down by the BJP.”
The yatra, launched on August 17 from Sasaram, is scheduled to cover 1,300 km and will culminate in a rally in Patna on September 1.
Tamil Nadu BJP leader K. Annamalai sought to corner Stalin by releasing a compilation of allegedly derogatory remarks against Biharis and north Indians by DMK leaders and their allies.
“TN CM Thiru @mkstalin avl is in Bihar today. Here is an evergreen compilation of his, his party members’, and his alliance partners’ uncouth remarks about our Bihari brothers and sisters,” Annamalai posted on social media.
He taunted Stalin, saying, “Hope he takes the stage with Thiru @RahulGandhi avl and proudly repeats every one of those insults in front of the very people he and his party members mocked.”