“The INDIA alliance is united in removing the ‘vote thieves’ from positions of power; the massive public rally to be held in Delhi on Nov. 1 will demonstrate this unity,” the Congress said.
Opposition parties have been staging a series of protests, alleging that the BJP has engaged in electoral malpractice through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in the country, and demanding that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign. Raising the charge of “vote theft,” Congress leaders including Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi recently staged a surprise sit-in protest in Delhi and were arrested.
On Oct. 12, opposition leaders who marched toward the Supreme Court under the banner of the “March for Democracy” jointly filed a petition against Gyanesh Kumar. The next day, Rahul Gandhi hosted INDIA alliance leaders for tea at his residence. At that time, they decided to intensify the struggle against “vote theft.”
In this context, a massive public rally is set to be held on Nov. 1 at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on behalf of the INDIA alliance, both to demand the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar and to put pressure on the central government over the ‘vote theft’ issue. General secretaries Priyanka Gandhi and K.C. Venugopal held discussions on Saturday with Congress functionaries from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana regarding the preparations for this.
‘10 lakh people will gather’:
In these consultation meetings held at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam, state Congress president Aradhana Mishra, former state president Ajay Rai, Haryana state Congress in-charge Sanjay Dutt, state Congress president Rao Narendra Singh, Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala, party MP Deepender Hooda, and others participated.
In this regard, K.C. Venugopal said in a post on X:
Consultations were held with senior Congress leaders from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana regarding efforts to mobilize volunteers for the massive public rally to be held in Delhi on Nov. 1 against ‘vote theft.’ For this rally, we expect at least 1 million people to gather from across the country.
K.C. Venugopal said that this gathering will be a historic event against the ‘vote theft’ orchestrated by Gyanesh Kumar and his associates at the behest of Modi and Amit Shah, and that it will convey the message that the INDIA alliance is united to remove the ‘vote thieves’ from power.
Rahul playing with Sikhs’ sentiments: BJP
The BJP has criticized Rahul Gandhi, saying that by his stubborn insistence on holding a public rally in Delhi on Nov. 1, he is playing with the sentiments of Sikhs.
Following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on Oct. 31, 1984, riots broke out against Sikhs in various parts of the country, including Delhi. The BJP has criticized Rahul’s current actions as hurting the sentiments of the Sikhs affected by those riots.
Regarding this, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters, “Many leaders of the INDIA alliance do not agree with holding a public meeting in Delhi on November 1. However, Rahul Gandhi is adamant about holding the meeting on that day. He is intent on hurting the sentiments of Sikhs. His actions are highly condemnable,” he said.
