-
Mallikarjun Kharge demands a halt to the SIR exercise and ballot papers for future elections.
-
Congress president calls for annulment of assembly polls held over the past two years.
-
Kharge alleges vote theft in four states and attacks the BJP over caste discrimination.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday demanded an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the annulment of all assembly elections held over the past two years and the use of ballot papers in all future polls.
Addressing an event in Patna marking the 139th birth anniversary of Bihar’s first chief minister, Krishna Singh, popularly known as Sri Babu, Kharge described protests against the SIR exercise as a “second war of independence”.
Alleging manipulation of electoral rolls and deletion of opposition supporters’ names, Kharge questioned the integrity of the electoral process and the Election Commission.
“Governments stolen through ‘vote chori’ in West Bengal, Haryana, Bihar and Maharashtra must be removed,” he said, urging people to take to the streets to defend their rights and the Constitution.
Kharge alleged that the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP was deepening divisions in the country. “As long as RSS ideology is not eliminated, there will be no peace in the country,” he said.
Demanding ballot papers for future elections, the Congress president said the move would ensure transparency and restore public confidence in the electoral process.
His demand to annul elections held over the past two years followed his allegations of vote theft, which he did not substantiate with evidence in the speech cited.
Kharge also targeted JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, saying the former Bihar chief minister had once stood alongside socialist leaders Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan but had since aligned himself with the BJP.
He described the shift as a departure from the socialist ideals and political values associated with Kumar’s earlier politics.
Paying tribute to Krishna Singh, Kharge said Bihar’s first chief minister had helped build the foundations of a modern state by promoting institutions, agriculture, industry, education and irrigation.
Kharge also called for action against untouchability and ‘suddhikaran’ (purification) practices, arguing that caste-based discrimination undermined human dignity and equality.
“Our fight is not against religion; it is against discrimination in the name of religion,” he said, adding that Dalits should be able to enter and worship at every temple in the country without discrimination.
He criticised the filing of an FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following his visit to Haldwani to protest an alleged ‘suddhikaran’ incident targeting him, saying the case raised questions about the space available to those challenging the status quo.
Targeting the BJP over the controversy surrounding donations made to the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Kharge said he hoped those who had allegedly misappropriated wealth in the name of Lord Ram would be punished.