After 'Atom bomb', Rahul threatens to come out with 'Hydrogen bomb' of disclosures on 'vote chori'

Patna, Sep 1 (PTI) Days after accusing the BJP of stealing elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday threatened that he will soon amplify his charges by coming out with more "vote chori" disclosures that would be like a "Hydrogen bomb" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not be able to show his face to the country.

Speaking at the concluding event of his 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' here, Gandhi said Bihar, being a revolutionary state, has given a message to the country about "vote chori" and will not allow such malpractice.

Alleging that the forces that killed Mahatma Gandhi are now trying to "murder" democracy and the Constitution, he claimed that the opposition INDIA bloc would not allow them to do so.

"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' ((vote thieves, vacate the throne)," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said at a major public meeting in the heart of the capital here.

With this, the 15-day Voter Adhikar Yatra in poll-bound Bihar, which started from Sasaram on August 17, ended with a boisterous response from workers of the Congress, RJD and Left parties that displayed their strength on the streets of Patna on the last day on Monday.

Workers of various constituents of Mahagathbandhan lined up along the 7-km route of the Yatra on the last day, carrying flags and raising slogans in support of their leaders, amid the sound of 'vote chori' tunes, creating a charged atmosphere.

Gandhi was joined by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Vikassheel Insan Party chief Mukesh Sahani, CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby, CPI (ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI's Annie Raja, TMC MP Yusuf Pathan, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and other INDIA bloc leaders.

The Yatra led by Gandhi and other Mahagathbandhan leaders covered a total of 1,300 km and passed through 110 assembly constituencies in 25 of the 38 districts ahead of the upcoming state elections.

"BJP people showed black flags to us. I want to tell them, listen carefully. Have you heard of anything bigger than an atom bomb? What is bigger than that; it is a hydrogen bomb. In Mahadevapura, we had shown an atom bomb. BJP people, be ready, a hydrogen bomb is coming. People are soon going to find out your (BJP) reality of vote chori," Gandhi said.

"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," the former Congress chief said amid a thunderous applause from the crowds.

Citing data from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi had last month claimed that over one lakh votes were "stolen" through "manipulation" in Mahadevapura assembly segment in Karnataka, and asserted that "vote chori" is an "atom bomb on our democracy".

The BJP, however, mocked Gandhi's claim of "hydrogen bomb", saying his "atom bomb" had turned out to be a damp squib, and accused him of demeaning his position as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha with "irresponsible" comments.

The 'Gandhi se Ambedkar' march by the opposition parties on Monday was stopped midway by the police at the Dak Bungalow crossing, where the INDIA bloc leaders addressed a gathering.

In his address, Kharge attacked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying the JD(U) chief used to talk of socialism earlier but then "fell into the lap" of the BJP-RSS, which will dump him "where garbage is dumped".

Accusing Prime Minister Modi of being a "habitual" of "stealing votes", Kharge alleged that he is attempting to win the Bihar Assembly polls through "vote chori" (vote theft), and asserted that the BJP-led NDA's "double-engine" government in Bihar would be voted out soon, with a new government of the poor, backwards and Dalits being formed.

"Once upon a time, he used to go around and talk about socialism and praise Ram Manohar Lohia and George Fernandes and others. Where did those socialist ideas go? Now you have gone and fallen into the lap of the BJP-RSS." "This BJP-RSS will dump you where garbage is dumped," the Congress chief said, launching a stinging attack on Nitish Kumar.

"This Voter Adhikar Yatra was discussed throughout the country. There were attempts to disrupt it, but the people of Bihar and the Mahagathbandhan did not back down," Kharge said.

"Modi is attempting to win the Bihar polls through vote chori. Be alert. If you are not alert, Modi and (Amit) Shah will ruin you," he claimed.

"This double-engine government will not be there in six months and the new government that will be formed will be of the poor, women, Dalits and backwards," the Congress chief said.

He claimed that while "people in Manipur are dying, PM Modi is visiting countries across the world".

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav dubbed Nitish Kumar as the "Bhishma Pitamaha of moral corruption", alleging that his government is involved in several irregularities.

In a veiled attack against PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, Yadav claimed that the "two BJP leaders with the help of the Election Commission want to finish democracy" in the country.

"The Bihar CM is not in a conscious state of mind. He is lacking vision. In fact, the CM does not have a vision for the state. People will oust his government from power in the upcoming assembly polls," Tejashwi claimed.

He also alleged, "The Bihar CM has become 'Bhishma Pitamaha' of 'naitik bhrashtachar' (moral corruption) and he should not speak about irregularities," the RJD leader said.

He was referring to 'Bhishma Pitamaha' who was a central figure in the epic Mahabharata and is considered a statesman and military commander of the Kauravas during ancient times.

The RJD leader also accused Nitish Kumar of "copying" his development plans on several occasions.

"Now, Bihar wants an original CM, not a duplicate one," Yadav said.

JMM leader Hemant Soren alleged that people's rights were being snatched by the BJP-led NDA in the name of the special intensive revision (SIR), and that electoral rolls were being prepared as per the wishes of the ruling coalition.

He accused the NDA government of following a 'divide and rule' policy, and called upon all the INDIA bloc constituents to remain united to unseat the ruling alliance from power.

Accusing the BJP of colluding with the Election Commission to indulge in 'vote chori', Gandhi said, "I want to tell the youth of Bihar, vote chori means 'chori of rights, chori of reservation, chori of democracy, chori of employment, chori of education, and chori of future of youth." Later, in a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "Heartfelt thanks to Lalu Prasad Yadav ji, Tejashwi Yadav ji, Dipankar Bhattacharya ji, Mukesh Sahani ji, Bihar Congress leadership, Congress' babbar shers (lions), INDIA bloc workers and the youth of the state for making the Bihar Voter Adhikar Yatra historic." "We pledge - not even a single vote will be stolen in Bihar. We will protect democracy and the Constitution with all our might," Gandhi said.

The march in Patna started with the INDIA bloc leaders offering floral tributes at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Gandhi Maidan and ended with Rahul Gandhi paying floral tributes at the statue of B R Ambedkar located in Ambedkar Park here. PTI ASK/SKC PKD NAC RT RT