HP Congress Government lands in RamLila Maidan for the Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod Rally, Secretariat Wears a Deserted Look on Saturday Itself
New Delhi/Shimla: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of “systematic vote theft” and claimed the fight in India today is between the ideology of truth and the politics of power.
Launching a sharp attack on the BJP from the Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod rally at Ramlila Maidan, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that democracy in India was under “systematic assault” and that elections were being “managed, not contested.”
He alleged that the ruling party was using institutions to fix outcomes and silence the Opposition, warning that this posed a grave threat to the Constitution.
Rahul Gandhi said the country is witnessing a decisive moment where truth will ultimately prevail, just as Mahatma Gandhi showed the path of non-violence and honesty. He said power achieved through manipulation does not last and that the people of India understand who is fighting for the truth.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that elections are being won by deleting and adding voters’ names on a massive scale. He claimed this had happened in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Lok Sabha elections, where, according to him, millions of votes were removed and added without explanation. He said the Congress repeatedly raised these issues before the Election Commission but received no response.
“This vote theft is not just electoral manipulation. It is a direct attack on Dr B R Ambedkar’s Constitution,” he said, adding that the principle of one person, one vote is being violated to keep the present government in power.
The Congress leader said unemployment, inflation, pollution and the collapse of small businesses are consequences of a government that survives by stealing votes. He asserted that if elections were fair, the Modi government would be voted out swiftly.
Rahul Gandhi said the Congress represents the ideology of truth, non-violence and democratic values, while the RSS stands for power at any cost. He praised party workers for standing firm despite heat, rain and pressure, saying they fight with honesty while their opponents rely on fear and manipulation.
He said the ruling leadership’s confidence has visibly declined after allegations of vote theft came to light and claimed that the country will soon know the full truth.
Rahul Gandhi said the Congress was on the streets to protect the people’s right to choose their representatives freely. “When votes are stolen, governments lose their moral right to rule. This fight is not just for Congress, it is for every Indian who believes in democracy,” he told a packed gathering.
The rally saw a strong presence from Himachal Pradesh, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, senior leader Vinay Kumar, Cabinet ministers and Congress MLAs joining the protest. The Himachal leadership stood shoulder to shoulder with the central leadership, signalling the party’s attempt to project unity and resistance against the BJP at the national level.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP of hollowing out democratic institutions and reducing Parliament to a rubber stamp. He said the Opposition was being targeted because it raised questions on unemployment, price rise and growing inequality.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the struggle was between arrogance of power and the voice of the people, adding that fear and intimidation would not break the Congress.
Sonia Gandhi, in her brief presence, underlined the need to defend constitutional values and federalism, while senior leaders reiterated that the party would intensify its agitation in the coming months.
The rally also came at a time when the Congress is facing political marginalisation in states like Bihar, where it has been reduced to a non-entity in the Assembly and is struggling to regain relevance.
Party leaders, however, maintained that mass mobilisation and street protests were necessary to rebuild the organisation and reconnect with voters.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said elections in India are often decided by very thin margins and even small deletions or additions in electoral rolls can change results.
“When victories and defeats are decided by a few hundred votes, every deletion and every addition matters. This is why the integrity of the voter list is crucial for free and fair elections,” Sukhu said, endorsing the Congress leadership’s charge that democratic processes were being systematically weakened.
He said the Congress had a responsibility to raise its voice wherever the sanctity of elections was under threat. Sukhu added that the party’s presence at the Ramlila Maidan rally was aimed at safeguarding constitutional values and the voter’s right to choose without fear or manipulation.
Meanwhile, Election Commission of India has long rebutted the Congress allegations earlier, saying that the elections are conducted fairly in EVMs taking into confidence all contesting candidates and parties before and after elections.
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