New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a sarcastic dig at the BJP and its allies, thanking them for publicising the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally against alleged “vote chori” and helping spread its message to a wider audience, PTI reported.
The rally is part of the Opposition’s ongoing campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged irregularities in the electoral process.
As Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi alleged that voters were being deprived of their democratic rights and asserted that the Opposition would not remain silent over the issue.
“Names have been struck off the electoral rolls. Rules and laws have been flouted. And those who dared to ask questions were met with batons. Now, the nation will provide an answer,” Gandhi said in a Hindi post on X, according to PTI.
Urging citizens to participate in the protest, Gandhi called for a “Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao” (Save Votes, Save the Country) march and mega rally in Delhi on November 1. He appealed to students, farmers, workers, women, young people and traders to join the movement, saying that everyone concerned about democracy should participate.
“The vote is yours. The fight is also yours,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, Gandhi thanked the party and its allies for their enthusiastic publicity of the rally, remarking that their efforts had helped amplify its message. He also urged them to maintain the same level of “energy and dedication” over the next seven days.
The BJP had criticised the Congress on Saturday over the proposed rally, accusing Gandhi of deliberately choosing November 1 to aggravate the pain of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, party MP Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed that several constituents of the INDIA bloc were unhappy with the Congress’s decision to hold the rally on that date and wanted it postponed, PTI reported.
Meanwhile, Opposition alliance leaders are scheduled to hold what they have termed a “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 30 and announce a public verdict against him.
Congress general secretary in charge of organisation, K C Venugopal, has described the “Dilli Chalo” march to Ramlila Maidan as the party’s biggest protest against alleged vote theft.
The November 1 rally is expected to centre on allegations of voter deletions and electoral irregularities. The INDIA bloc has appealed to people from different sections of society to join its campaign to protect voting rights and defend democracy.
