Patna: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday launched the 1300-km long Voter Adhikar Yatra from Sasaram in Bihar and claimed that vote-theft was happening across the country.
Amid presence of top notch leaders of INDIA bloc including RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Rahul said that the Election Commission was stealing votes in Lok Sabha and assembly elections across the country and was now trying to do the same thing in Bihar through special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. He contended that people of Bihar would not allow it in their state as for poor and deprived people, their votes were their only strength.
He said that RSS and BJP were trying to finish the constitution as Narendra Modi Ji and BJP were winning in all elections.
"Our alliance won the Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra but NDA won the assembly polls, held only after four months. When we analysed the data, we found that one crore voters were added between Lok Sabha and assembly polls in the state," he added. He claimed that BJP and its allies emerged victorious in Maharashtra's assembly election, wherever new voters were added, he claimed. Even in Karnataka, one lakh votes were stolen in Mahadevapura assembly constituency that is part of Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency and thus BJP won the LS seat.
“The strength of the poor is their vote - it is their right, their voice, their identity. Today, that very strength is being snatched away - a conspiracy to steal votes is underway through SIR. We will stop vote theft at all costs!," he remarked.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad called upon people to remove those stealing votes and also exhorted them to chase away BJP and ensure INDIA bloc`s victory in the assembly election.
He also called upon all leaders of the INDIA bloc including Rahul, Tejashwi to oust the NDA from power by working together and strengthen democracy
Congress president Mallikarnjun Kharge, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, CPI (ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and a host of other leaders also spoke on the occasion.
