Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘voter adhikar yatra’ across Bihar continued for the third day by reaching Gaya on Tuesday.
Party leader Kanhaiya Kumar claimed that the people’s response proving that “killing democracy” with alleged vote theft is not as easy as the idea “resides in the hearts of people.”
“Today is the third day of the Voter Adhikar Yatra. This yatra started from Gaya and will continue further. The way people are supporting the yatra, coming out of their homes to see it and giving their blessings, it is clear that killing democracy in this country is not easy because democracy resides in the hearts of the people here,” Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar told ANI here.The rally, being carried out across the state with alliance partner Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is to highlight alleged voter suppression and electoral manipulations by the BJP and Election Commission of India (ECI) through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
RJD MP Sanjay Yadav, highlighting the response of the yatra claimed that people have realised that the theft of votes is the “work of the Election Commission.””Our message has reached to the people of Bihar. The people of Bihar know that Bihar is the mother of democracy. This is the fight to save the existence of democracy, to save the right to vote. This is the fight to save the constitution from the conspiracy of the Election Commission and the BJP… The theft of votes in a few states has led people to realise that it’s not about the leader’s popularity, but rather the work of the election commission,” the RJD MP told ANI.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission on Sunday refuted any claims of vote theft and electoral roll manipulation, while addressing a press conference in the national capital. The Poll body has asked the Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha to submit a signed affidavit or apologise for his allegations.The ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ kick-started on Sunday from Sasaram. The 16-day yatra aims to protest against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar and alleged ‘vote chori’. The rally will culminate in Patna on September 1 after covering more than 1,300 km across over 20 districts in 16 days.
Several leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawan Khera, Kanhaiya Kumar, and others, participated in the Yatra on Sunday.During the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar’s Sasaram, the RJD president and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav called for removing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power in Bihar, referring to the party as “thieves” who are harming democracy by stealing the people’s votes.