Patna, Aug 22 (IANS) The Voter Adhikar Yatra led by Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been gaining momentum across Bihar, with lakhs of people joining the march.

On its sixth day, the Yatra reached Bhagalpur, where LoP Rahul Gandhi addressed a massive public gathering at Nathnagar block.

Crowds chanted slogans of “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhor”, accusing the BJP of manipulating elections in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

LoP Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Election Commission of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the BJP were working together to destroy democracy and the Constitution by disenfranchising voters.

He cited the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, claiming that the names of Congress and RJD supporters were being deliberately deleted.

He gave the example of a Congress supporter whose name had disappeared from the rolls, questioning the fairness of the process.

“Narendra Modi talks about SIR in Bihar, but why is he silent on alleged vote frauds in Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh?” LoP Rahul Gandhi asked.

“The truth is the BJP, along with the Election Commission, is trying to steal your votes and finish democracy,” LoP Rahul Gandhi.

At the rally, LoP Rahul Gandhi introduced Amarnath Jaiswal, a former Agniveer who lost a finger while serving in the Army and was discharged within two years without benefits.

LoP Rahul Gandhi said the case highlighted the flaws of the Agniveer scheme.

“The youth of this country have been betrayed. If a young man gets injured, he is abandoned without support. This is injustice,” LoP Rahul Gandhi said.

He further accused the Modi government of destroying small and medium businesses through demonetisation and the implementation of GST, worsening unemployment across the country.

The rally saw the presence of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, CPI-ML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, VIP chief Mukesh Sahani, Congress Bihar state president Rajesh Ram and other senior INDIA Bloc leaders, adding weight to the campaign.

The Yatra, positioned as a movement to “protect voting rights,” is being projected as a major show of strength by the opposition ahead of the Bihar assembly elections.

Meanwhile, K.C. Venugopal, the General Secretary and Lok Sabha MP of Congress, announced that prominent leaders of the INDIA Bloc will participate in the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar.

As per the schedule, Priyanka Gandhi will join the Voter Adhikar Yatra on August 26 and 27, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will join the Yatra on August 27, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah will join on August 29, and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav will join on August 30.

Apart from them, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Shukhvindar Singh Sukhu will also join the Voter Adhikar Yatra, but their dates have not been announced yet.

–IANS

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