New Delhi: Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing them of alleged “vote theft” in elections and claiming that the Election Commission of India (ECI) was “working at the behest of the BJP.”
Addressing the Congress party’s ‘Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod’ (Vote thieves, quit the throne) rally at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital, Gandhi alleged systematic manipulation of the electoral process. The rally was attended by senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other leaders.
At the outset of his address, Gandhi targeted Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat over a recent statement made in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
“Mohan Bhagwat has said that the world does not look at truth, but power. The one who has power is being recognised. This is Bhagwat’s mindset and RSS ideology, which is against truth. Our ideology is for truth,” Gandhi said.
Escalating his attack, the Congress leader accused the BJP and the Election Commission of colluding in alleged electoral malpractice. He questioned the transfer of ₹10,000 each to nearly 75 lakh women in Bihar ahead of the recently concluded Assembly elections, in which the NDA secured a sweeping victory.
“₹10,000 were given to voters at the time of the election. Their CEC Gyanesh Kumar and election commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi are colluding with the BJP. You can give them as much immunity as you can,” Gandhi alleged.
Gandhi further claimed that the Modi government had changed laws to provide protection to the central poll panel. “Don’t forget, you are the EC of the country, not the PM. Once we return to power, we will change the law and take action against you retrospectively. You are siding with falsehood,” he said.
Describing the current political situation as a moral struggle, Gandhi said the country was witnessing a “battle between truth and falsehood.”
“Our ideology is the ideology of Hindustan and Hinduism. This is a battle between truth and falsehood. I tell you from this stage that we will dethrone PM Modi and Amit Shah with the truth as they are indulging in vote theft,” he added.
The BJP and the Election Commission have not yet responded to the allegations made by the Congress leader.
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