Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday warned that his party was preparing to release a “hydrogen bomb” of revelations on alleged “vote chori”, a move he said would leave Prime Minister Narendra Modi unable to “show his face to the country”.
Speaking at the culmination of his Voter Adhikar Yatra in Patna, Gandhi said Bihar had always carried the spirit of revolution and was once again sending a powerful message to the nation.
“We will not let them (BJP) murder the Constitution and that is why we took out a yatra. We got a tremendous response. People came out in large numbers and raised the slogan 'vote chor gaddi chhor',” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha told the gathering.
Issuing a sharp warning to the BJP, Gandhi said, “Have you heard of anything bigger than an atom bomb? It is a hydrogen bomb. BJP people, be ready, a hydrogen bomb is coming. People are soon going to find out the reality of vote chori.”
He alleged that votes had been “stolen” in the Maharashtra assembly elections and pointed to evidence his party had earlier presented in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency. “In the coming time, I am guaranteeing you that after the hydrogen bomb (comes), Narendra Modi ji will not be able to show his face to the country,” he added.
Also read: Rahul’s Voter Adhikar Yatra to culminate in Patna tomorrow
Linking the charge of electoral manipulation to the everyday struggles of citizens, Gandhi told the youth of Bihar, “Vote chori means chori of rights, chori of democracy, chori of employment. They will take away your ration card and other rights.
The BJP responded swiftly to the comment, denouncing Rahul Gandhi's remarks as “demeaning himself” and an insult to the electorate. The party also ridiculed claims about the turnout at his rallies, alleging that 20,000 participants had been brought in from Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria.
Former Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad criticised Gandhi, saying, “Whenever I listen to Rahul Gandhi, inside or outside Parliament, it takes time to understand what he is trying to say… How are the atom bomb and the hydrogen bomb related to elections? Rahul Gandhi is irresponsible.”
Earlier, concluding his cross-state 'Voter Adhikar' rally in Patna, Gandhi asserted that Bihar had responded robustly to the opposition Mahagathbandhan—comprising the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal, turning out in large numbers and chanting the slogan ‘vote chor, gaddi chhor’.
The INDIA bloc allies joined Gandhi for the final stretch of the 1,300-km march, which traversed 110 constituencies in 25 districts of Bihar over two weeks. The concluding rally was halted by police at the Dak Bungalow crossing, where Gandhi and other leaders addressed supporters.
Those who shared the dais included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, VIP chief Mukesh Sahani, CPI(ML) Liberation’s Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI(M) leader M A Baby, CPI’s Annie Raja, TMC MP Yusuf Pathan and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.
The day began with floral tributes at Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at the Gandhi Maidaan. The march, titled Gandhi se Ambedkar, was launched from Sasaram on August 17, to protest what the opposition calls a systematic denial of voting rights through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
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