At Ramlila Ground Rally, Rahul Gandhi Attacks CEC Over Vote Chori
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday launched a fierce attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, warning that he would be prosecuted and sent to jail over 'vote chori' allegations. Speaking at a rally of the INDIA alliance at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, Gandhi framed the issue as a threat to the country's democracy.
The rally, titled 'Dilli Chalo' by the INDIA alliance, saw Gandhi vow that the struggle to safeguard the Constitution and democracy would go on. He insisted that Gyanesh Kumar's conduct was not a simple crime but belonged to the 'rarest of rare' category in legal terms.
Gandhi alleged that the CEC had carried out vote theft by misusing EVMs and by deleting 13.5 crore names from the electoral rolls. He said the steps taken for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were tantamount to sedition and to stealing the voice of every citizen.
Beyond the Chief Election Commissioner, Gandhi said, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister would also have to answer for the alleged assault on the Constitution and democracy.
Quoting Amit Shah's remark that Modi was not going anywhere, Gandhi responded that the opposition would not let them leave until they faced punishment for their actions.
He raised the issue of alleged manipulation in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and several state assembly polls. The large turnout at Ramlila Maidan, he said, was the voice of the nation's youth, farmers and labourers, and a clear warning to those behind 'vote chori' that the public would stand against them and defeat them.
Gandhi said the people gathered there were making it clear that no one, however powerful or affluent, is bigger than the Constitution, which stands supreme. He called the gathering a display of solidarity and collective strength to protect democracy.
As Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, he claimed that Modi, Shah and Gyanesh Kumar had been unable to sleep due to the alleged sin of 'vote chori' and would have to face its consequences. 'They have attacked the soul of the country, democracy and the Constitution, and we will not bear it,' he said.
He further accused the central government and the RSS of controlling institutions and government agencies. Citizens, he said, did not want a nation of hatred and violence, nor a country controlled by a few rich people.
Gandhi stated that he had no enemies and believed in brotherhood and non-violence. Invoking his well-known phrase 'Mohabbat ki Dukaan', he assured supporters that the shop of love would reopen soon.