The concluding day of the Voter Rights Yatra in Patna turned into a show of opposition unity on Sunday, with thousands of INDIA bloc supporters filling the streets from Gandhi Maidan to Dak Bungalow Square.
The rally drew top leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ashok Gehlot, Tejashwi Yadav, D. Raja and Mukesh Sahani, but it was Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren who delivered one of the sharpest and most combative speeches of the day.
Soren, who served a jail term of about six months in 2024, which he described as the result of “false and politically motivated cases,” accused the BJP of using underhand tactics to remain in power.
Addressing the massive gathering, he said, “I was put behind bars in a fabricated case. If I had not been jailed, the BJP would not have managed to open its account in Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha elections. They survive only by stealing votes.”
He described the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as manipulated, arguing that the ruling party relied on “vote theft” and systemic irregularities.
“This is not new. It has been happening for a long time. But this time, our elder brother Rahul Gandhi has collected evidence and placed it before the nation. For that, the country is indebted to him,” Soren declared, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.
Linking his personal ordeal with the broader democratic struggle, Soren told supporters that he had contested elections from jail, which had limited his campaign.
“If I had been outside, the results in Jharkhand would have been different, just as they were in the assembly polls,” he claimed.
Turning his attack to the central government, Soren accused the NDA of weaponising agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to harass opposition leaders.
“For the last 13 years, more people have died than in earlier decades. This is the outcome of the misrule that began in 2014 when power was seized with money and muscle. If we do not resist now, we may never get another chance to wake up,” he warned.
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On the issue of migration, Soren highlighted the measures his government had taken in Jharkhand. “Earlier, large sections of our population were forced to migrate in search of work.
Through schemes like ‘Adivasi Samman,’ we managed to stop nearly half the population from leaving the state. We created opportunities at home, and we will continue to do so,” he said.
The former chief minister urged marginalised communities to remain united, insisting that when Dalits and Adivasis stand together, no political force can suppress them.
“These so-called powerful people are not invincible. If we fight as one, they cannot stand before us,” he added.
Calling the upcoming Bihar elections a turning point, Soren described them as more than a routine political contest.
“This is not just an election; it is a pledge to save the nation. Your voice, your strength, will write the future of this country. Our resolve will not break, our spirit will not bend,” he said, ending his address to thunderous applause.
The Voter Rights Yatra, which began at Gandhi Maidan with floral tributes at Mahatma Gandhi’s statue and concluded with a massive rally at Dak Bungalow Square, became a platform for the INDIA bloc to project unity.
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