BJP will ‘steal votes’ in Bihar, says Rahul; calls on youth to guard democracy

Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, 6 November, accused the BJP of planning to “steal votes” in the Bihar Assembly polls with full force, and called on the youth to act responsibly to protect democracy and the Constitution.

Speaking at a rally in Purnia, Gandhi brought up the matter of the alleged rigging of Assembly elections in Haryana last year — on which he held a press briefing on Wednesday — saying the BJP and Election Commission colluded to manipulate elections. “We have shown the entire world that the BJP and the EC stole the Haryana election. I am sure they will try to steal votes in Bihar too.”

He urged Bihar’s youth to be vigilant at polling booths and ensure free and fair elections. “It is the responsibility of Bihar’s youth to put a stop to this and save the Constitution,” he said.

At another rally in Araria, Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah of imposing ‘jungle raj’ across India through misuse of agencies like the ED, CBI, and IT, coupled with spreading hatred and unemployment. “While (outgoing Bihar chief minister) Nitish Kumar talks about jungle raj in Bihar, Modi and Shah have imposed it nationwide,” he claimed.

At the same Araria rally, Gandhi added that Modi and Shah had also introduced the country to "dhamki (threat) raj, nafrat (hate) raj, note bandi (demonetisation) raj, faulty GST raj, ED, CBI and IT raj, as well as a raj that took away the rights of farmers and workers.

Gandhi also declared that Modi was dividing people on the basis of caste and religion for political gains and criticised Nitish Kumar for turning the youth into "labourers with limited job opportunities".

Also as in earlier campaign speeches, Gandhi repeated his assertion that should the INDIA bloc coalition assume power, it would work to revive the lost glory of Bihar when it came to education alluding to the ancient university at Nalanda, the Buddhist centre of learning which once attracted students from across the world.

His remarks reiterated Congress’s stand against the BJP’s alleged electoral manipulation and divisive agenda, appealing directly to Bihar’s youth to defend democratic values and demand change.

With agency inputs