Madhubani (Bihar): Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that the BJP’s long-term claim of remaining in power for several decades was rooted in “vote chori”. He was referring to a past statement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who in 2017 told party workers that the BJP would rule for 40–50 years.
“Amit Shah has repeatedly said their government will last for 40–50 years. How does he know this? It is a strange claim,” Gandhi told a gathering in Madhubani during his Voter Adhikar Yatra. “Today, the truth is in front of the country they stay in power through vote theft. It began in Gujarat, spread nationally in 2014, and was taken to other states.”
Gandhi further asserted that his remarks were evidence-based. “I don’t lie. I only speak when I have facts before me,” he said. Addressing Bihar’s youth specifically, he praised their activism, insisting that their protest would compel the BJP leadership and the Election Commission to “think twice before stealing votes.”
He accused the government of gradually eroding citizens’ rights, saying: “First they take away your vote, then your ration card, then your land.” Gandhi added that the opposition bloc would not allow this to continue unchecked.
Priyanka Gandhi Joins the Attack
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also sharpened the party’s criticism by turning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s past campaign jibe back at him. “Modi had claimed that Congress would steal people’s buffaloes. But the reality is, Narendra Modi himself is stealing your vote,” she said.
Calling voting “the foundation of India’s democracy” and “the people’s most precious right,” Priyanka alleged that under the Modi government, citizens had already “lost jobs, public sector units, and resources at every level.” She warned, “If you let them steal your vote, you will lose your identity, your rights, and even your citizenship.”
The ‘Vote Chori’ Controversy
Rahul Gandhi and the Congress have recently escalated their “vote chori” campaign, pointing to alleged large-scale manipulation of the 2024 Lok Sabha voter rolls. Congress leaders have accused both the BJP and the Election Commission of collusion—claiming opposition supporters’ names were deleted while fake or duplicate entries were added in constituencies such as Karnataka’s Mahadevapura, where the party says more than one lakh “fake votes” helped secure a BJP win.
The Election Commission (ECI) has firmly rejected the allegations, describing them as “misleading” and “baseless.” It has asked Gandhi to submit a sworn affidavit with documentary evidence to support his claims, stressing that the electoral roll process is conducted with transparency and political party involvement at every stage.