INDIA bloc holds mammoth rally in New Delhi on ‘vote chori’ charge
New Delhi: The Opposition INDIA bloc on Sunday called for the BJP’s ouster from power over the “vote chori” charge, with Rahul Gandhi asserting that CEC Gyanesh Kumar will be removed and sent to jail for treason in future and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will not be allowed to escape the law.
In a show of strength, prominent leaders of the grouping addressed a mammoth rally at Ramlila Maidan against alleged electoral irregularities and voter list revision and claimed that the BJP formed governments at the Centre and in states with “stolen” mandate.
“Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah ji, understand this – after Gyanesh Kumar, we will stand against you and don’t forget that for the ‘vote chori’ you have done, there will be legal action against you,” Gandhi said.
The Opposition leaders alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) had colluded with the BJP to “steal” the votes of citizens and vowed to fight to “protect the Constitution and democracy”.
“This was not the voice of any one political party or leader but of the entire Opposition and nation that includes India’s youth, women, farmers, labourers and common people.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge accused Modi and Shah of shielding the CEC.
“Modi and Shah have attempted to snatch the vote of Dalits, youth and women. Modi ji wants to take away their votes through his man – Gyanesh Kumar. We will keep fighting until he goes, and ensure his exit,” he said.
Alleging that “vote chori” has been taking place in the country for several years, Gandhi described the 2024 Lok Sabha election as “illegal”.
He pointed out that the Election Commission removed 15 per cent of total voters from the electoral rolls even while the difference between the NDA and the Opposition grouping was merely 3 per cent of votes.
“This means that the 2024 election was illegal; it was stolen. I am not saying this but the EC stated this because they have removed 13.3 crore voters from the 2024 list,” he said.
“This was not a normal theft, as this is stealing the voice of citizens and in legal parlance it is called ‘rarest of rare’; this is treason. Without Gyanesh Kumar, neither Modi would have become PM nor Shah Home Minister,” he said.
Responding to Shah’s statement that Modi is not going anywhere, Gandhi said, “Narendra Modi cannot go anywhere; even if he wants to go, we will not let him.”
The ‘vote bachao, desh bachao maharally’ was part of the Opposition’s series of protests for removal of the CEC and scrapping of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Top Opposition leaders, including former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, NC’s Farooq Abdullah, PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti, CPI-M’s MA Baby, CPI’s D Raja, NCP-SP’s Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena-UBT’s Sanjay Raut were among those present at the rally, besides Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal, Dipankar Bhattacharya and civil society members.
Akhilesh Yadav said the Ramlila Maidan has turned into the “Haldighati of democracy” with a massive turnout of people and asserted that this is indicative of change in the offing.
Mamata Banerjee claimed that West Bengal election was hijacked and called upon people across communities and political affiliations to unite against the BJP.
“The BJP will go, will go, will go. They are going to go,” she said emphatically.
Tejashwi Yadav likened the fight against alleged “vote chori” to the epic Mahabharata, describing it as a battle between the country’s voters and “cheaters”.
“You know who was Shakuni… Shakuni is playing his game, and we have to fight and create Kurukshetra. When Shakuni rolled the dice, he rigged it.
“Everyone knows who is Shakuni…Gyanu (Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar) is Modi’s ‘namoona (minion)’. He should be tried for treason and jailed so that no one dares to trample democracy in future.”
The BJP, however, described the rally as a “chaotic, unruly spectacle” and assailed Rahul Gandhi for his remarks about Prime Minister’s election, saying the Congress leader was speaking like the “son of a Mughal emperor”.
BJP chief Nitin Nabin lashed out at Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he was acting at the behest of foreign powers to create anarchy in the country.
Mamata Banerjee extended her support to the CJP leadership and Gen Z activists at the rally, as she accused the BJP of manipulating elections and using the SIR exercise to target states ruled by non-NDA parties.
She was seen warming up to Sonia Gandhi, whom she addressed as “my leader”, and acknowledged the presence of her once archrivals, Left parties.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti also spoke, besides left leaders MA Baby and CPI-ML’s Dipankar Bhattacharya.
