Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday sharply criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “Voter Adhikar Yatra” in Bihar, renaming it the “Ghuspaithiya Bachao Yatra” (Infiltrator Protection March) and alleging that its true purpose was to protect illegal infiltrators from Bangladesh. Speaking during an interaction with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Bihar’s Rohtas district, Shah accused Gandhi and his allies of prioritising jobs for infiltrators over opportunities for Indian youth.
Shah dismissed Congress’s claims of widespread vote theft as a fabricated narrative, questioning the BJP workers directly: “Have any of you lost their votes?… This was Rahul Gandhi’s Ghuspaithiya Bachao Yatra.”
He argued that the yatra was not focused on addressing issues such as vote theft, quality education, employment, electricity, or infrastructure like roads. Instead, Shah claimed, “The topic of his yatra was not vote theft. The topic was not good education, employment, electricity, roads… The topic of the tour was saving the infiltrators who have come from Bangladesh. Should infiltrators have the right to vote or free rations? Should infiltrators get jobs, houses, treatment up to 5 lakh rupees?”
He urged BJP workers to take responsibility for visiting every household and warning voters that if the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) government were to come to power, even by mistake, every district in Bihar would be overrun with infiltrators. Shah’s remarks were aimed at rallying BJP supporters to counter the opposition’s narrative and mobilise voters ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.
During his visit to Bihar, Shah is scheduled to engage with BJP workers and leaders from 10 districts in the Magadh-Shahabad region, an area where the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) underperformed in the 2020 assembly elections and the Lok Sabha polls the previous year. His interactions are part of a broader effort to strengthen the BJP’s grassroots presence and address electoral challenges in the region.
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Earlier on Thursday, Shah met with Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar, who has served as the state’s longest-serving Chief Minister for over two decades. Kumar is contesting the upcoming election as part of the BJP-led NDA coalition.
The Election Commission of India is expected to announce the dates for the Bihar assembly elections next month, setting the stage for a heated electoral contest. Shah’s remarks reflect the BJP’s strategy to frame the Congress and its allies as undermining national interests by allegedly supporting infiltrators, while positioning the NDA as a defender of local rights and opportunities. The controversy over voter rights and alleged vote theft, coupled with accusations of electoral manipulation, continues to escalate tensions between the ruling coalition and the opposition as Bihar prepares for the polls.
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