‘Modi trying to win Bihar election through vote theft,’ says Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of attempting to win the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections through “vote theft” and urged people to remain vigilant to protect their voting rights.

“PM Modi has a habit of stealing. He steals votes, steals money. And they (BJP) take care of people who fled India after looting the country's banks,” Kharge said at a public meeting during the concluding day of Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra in Patna.

He added, “Modi is trying to win in the Bihar election through vote theft. You should stay alert. If you don't stay alert, Modi and Shah will drown you.”

The Congress chief invoked Ambedkar, Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, saying the right to vote was earned after independence and must be protected. “We should not lose that right, so we have to fight hard,” he said.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi targeted the BJP over alleged voter list manipulation, warning of a “hydrogen bomb” revelation on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar. “You have all seen the atom bomb on vote theft, now you will see the hydrogen bomb on this,” he said.

The 16-day yatra, which started on August 18, aimed to highlight alleged “vote chori” by the BJP and irregularities in the voter rolls. Several INDIA bloc leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav, Priyanka Gandhi, MK Stalin and Dipankar Bhattacharya, joined the campaign at different stages.