Rahul Gandhi during Voter Adhikar Yatra (PTI image)
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday mounted a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led NDA government, accusing them of attempting ‘vote theft’ in Bihar and betraying the country’s youth with policies that ‘destroy employment opportunities.’Addressing a massive public rally in Bhagalpur during the ongoing ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’, Gandhi alleged that the Modi government and the Election Commission were working together to snatch away citizens’ constitutional right to vote.“The SIR is an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP and the EC to steal your votes. They are trying their best to snatch your voting rights. The ‘vote chor’ came to Gayaji, but he did not say even a word on his government’s attempt to steal votes with the help of the EC,” Gandhi said.He alleged that though PM Modi visited Bihar earlier in the day, he remained silent on alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra and Karnataka elections as well as the crisis in Manipur.He attacked Modi for maintaining “silence” on irregularities in elections. “The SIR is an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP and the EC to steal your votes. They are trying their best to snatch your voting rights. The ‘vote chor’ came to Gayaji, but he did not say even a word on his government’s attempt to steal votes with the help of the EC,” the Congress leader said. Invoking the Constitution, Gandhi said all citizens are equal and every person has one vote, but alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Election Commission are attacking it by canceling votes. He cited the case of a voter who told him his vote was canceled by the EC after he had voted for Congress in the Lok Sabha elections.”Constitution guarantees equal rights to everyone; but PM and EC are snatching people’s right to vote,” he alleged. The leader of opposition also accused the Modi government of pushing the youth into despair. “Young people study for months to get a job, then take exams. But… on the day of the exam, the paper gets leaked. The situation is such that the youth cannot find employment in this state”.Lashing out at the Agniveer scheme, Gandhi said the government had ended secure jobs in the armed forces. “Earlier, millions of our youth used to join the army. They protected the country, received pensions, and were taken care of. Today, an Agniveer has lost his hand, but no help is being provided to him. He has been removed from his job and sent back home.”Gandhi also recalled demonetisation, GST and the now-repealed farm laws, alleging that every measure of this government is anti-poor.During the rally, Gandhi said that even attempts to suppress the yatra by cutting electricity would fail. “Here, they have cut off the electricity, thinking that cutting the power will silence the voice, but the voice does not stop in the darkness; it is heard.” he remarked.The Bhagalpur event marked the sixth day of the 1,300-km, 16-day yatra launched on August 17, which will pass through more than 20 districts of Bihar before concluding with a rally at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on September 1.Congress leaders from Karnataka will also be joining the yatra. Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar will walk with Gandhi over the weekend in Katihar district, while chief minister Siddaramaiah will join on August 29.
