Patna, Aug 26 (IANS) The Voter Adhikar Yatra of the INDIA bloc reached Darbhanga’s Sakri block on Tuesday, where Congress National General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav launched a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi government and the Election Commission, accusing them of “stealing votes.”

Addressing a massive gathering, Priyanka Gandhi alleged that the BJP, which once mocked Congress by saying it would “steal buffaloes,” is now engaged in stealing the fundamental right to vote.

“They are stealing jobs, selling government entities to their business friends, and now they are trying to steal the most important right of citizens – the vote. If they succeed, people will be deprived of government benefits and even relief during natural disasters like floods. This is a direct attack on citizenship. Losing your vote means losing your rights,” Priyanka said, urging people of Bihar to resist what she called a “dangerous game.”

Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, praised Priyanka Gandhi for joining the Yatra and boosting the INDIA bloc’s campaign.

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, “Two people who came from Gujarat cannot stop us from exercising our voting rights. This is Bihar – people here are alert. They cannot be fooled. They will give the BJP the right answer in the elections.”

LoP Rahul Gandhi also attacked PM Modi and Amit Shah over their earlier claims of ruling India for the next “40 to 50 years.”

“In a democracy, power lies with the people, not a party. How could Amit Shah be so confident of ruling for decades? Now, we know that their confidence does not come from public support, but from stealing votes with the help of the Election Commission. They have now been exposed,” LoP Rahul Gandhi said.

The INDIA bloc also drew support from Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who extended solidarity with the movement.

LoP Rahul Gandhi, in a post on his official X handle, shared a video of the INDIA bloc leaders — including Tejashwi Yadav, Dipankar Bhattacharya, Mukesh Sahani, Rajesh Ram, Shakeel Ahmed Khan, among others — sitting together at a round table and discussing the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list with Tushar Gandhi.

In their discussions, the INDIA bloc leaders also criticised the BJP and RSS for their stance toward Mahatma Gandhi, accusing them of disrespecting the Father of the Nation.

The Darbhanga leg of the Voter Adhikar Yatra has emerged as a major political flashpoint, with the opposition uniting to allege that the NDA is attempting to undermine democracy by manipulating voter rolls.

–IANS

ajk/dan