Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sambit Patra on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Congress and other INDIA bloc parties over their 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' mega rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, accusing them of shielding infiltrators and questioning the Opposition's claim of mobilising 10 lakh people for the event.
Addressing a press conference after the rally, Patra alleged that infiltrators had become the vote bank of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Rahul Gandhi and their allies. He asserted that only Indian citizens were entitled to vote and accused the Opposition of allowing illegal immigrants to enter the country and influence electoral outcomes.
Taking a dig at the turnout, the BJP leader questioned the Congress's claim of bringing 10 lakh people to the rally. He alleged that nearly 40 per cent of Ramlila Maidan remained vacant and claimed that several thousand chairs were unoccupied even around 3:30-4 pm.
Patra also mocked Rahul Gandhi's political ambitions, saying that becoming Prime Minister required hard work and perseverance rather than political manoeuvring. Playing on the abbreviation PM, he said it stood for 'Paseena' (sweat) and 'Mehnat' (hard work).
In another sharp attack, Patra told Gandhi that the country did not belong to his family but to its citizens, adding that democracy allowed even an ordinary person or a tea seller to become Prime Minister. He also dismissed Gandhi's reference to 'Shiv Ji Ki Baraat' as an attempt to create political chaos, calling the Opposition gathering a spectacle of disorder.
Earlier, addressing the rally, Gandhi accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of capturing institutions, including educational bodies and investigative agencies. He alleged that the BJP was using money and institutional influence to undermine democracy and electoral processes.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also accused the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh of coming to power through alleged 'vote theft'. He called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's removal, saying democracy could survive only if Modi left office.
The INDIA bloc rally was organised to protest against alleged electoral irregularities, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
