Arrah (Bihar): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asserted that his ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ was a “revolution” that began in Bihar, aimed at ensuring “not one vote is stolen” in elections, but would spread out to the entire country.
The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha was addressing a rally in Arrah, the headquarters of Bhojpur district, on the final day of the third leg of his state-wide yatra, which will culminate two days later in Patna.
“Bihar is a land where revolutions have taken place. The response to the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ has proved that another revolution has begun from Bihar. In the days to come, this will engulf the whole country,” asserted Gandhi.
The yatra has covered a distance of more than 1,000 km across 25 districts in the last couple of weeks.
Training his guns at the Centre, the former Congress president alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-RSS “serve the interests of the super rich, a reason why they want to suppress the voice of the youth, who have been robbed of opportunities because of privatisation of public-sector undertakings”.
“But, we have made it clear that the voice of the poor youth will echo across the country, and in Bihar, we will not allow even one vote to be stolen,” said Gandhi, who was joined on the stage by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, besides Bihar allies Tejashwi Yadav (RJD) and Dipankar Bhattacharya (CPIML)L.
“Remember, if your vote is stolen, you will be robbed of your future. Your right to vote has been bestowed upon you by the Constitution, which is the embodiment of the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar. We must protect it,” he said.
A massive crowd had turned up at the Babu Kunwar Singh Stadium, the venue of the rally, and Gandhi shot a video of the turnout, which was also shared by the Congress and Akhilesh Yadav on their respective X handles.
Gandhi also had a special word of thanks for his UP ally, who has made it clear that their alliance, which humbled the BJP in its largest stronghold in last year’s Lok Sabha polls, will continue till the 2027 assembly elections.
Sharing pictures of himself with the Samajwadi Party chief, Gandhi wrote, by way of caption, “when two brothers come together, it is devastation for those who are out to steal votes. Many thanks to you, Akhilesh Yadav ji, for lending your support to me, Tejashwi and other INDIA bloc leaders for the Voter Adhikar Yatra”.
The yatra, which comes ahead of the assembly polls this year, has been marked by the Raebareli MP’s penchant for establishing a connect with the masses.
Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP K C Venugopal, in a post on X, said the people of Bihar have given unprecedented support to the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’.
“For a state that has seen historic deprivation and hardships, the threat of their one true power – the right to vote – being stolen was unimaginable. The fear they had in their hearts needed comforting, and the Yatra came in as a ray of hope against the blatant destruction of democracy being orchestrated in the name of SIR,” he said.
The yatra has been a milestone in Bihar’s rich history of people’s movements, he asserted.
“Respected leaders from across the country who believed in our cause joined and gave greater strength – including sitting CMs of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, HP, as well as other senior leaders like Akhilesh ji today and Priyanka Gandhi ji last week,” Venugopal said.
At many places, Gandhi, who has throughout donned his trademark white T-shirt and cargo pants, also made it a point to carry a “gamcha” around his neck, much like residents of the hinterland.
On Saturday, while driving from Saran, across the Ganga, to Arrah, several people tried to climb atop the bonnet of Gandhi’s open vehicle, much to the chagrin of security personnel.
The Congress leader, however, responded to their enthusiasm with a pat on the back and a handshake, and many of them received candies from Gandhi as a token of affection.
A handful of youth, apparently BJP supporters, turned up on the roadside wearing black shirts and waving black flags.
Supporters of the INDIA bloc shooed them away, only to be stopped by Gandhi, who asked one of the protesters to come close.
A video has gone viral in which Gandhi can be seen asking the youth what made him so upset.
Upon being told that they were taking exception to alleged abuses hurled at Modi a few days ago in Darbhanga, Gandhi asked, “But, it did not happen in my presence. Nor was any of my colleagues there at that time”.
The former Congress chief also offered a sip of water and a toffee to the young man before bidding him goodbye.
