Congress hits street in Haryana, says BJP formed govt by 'strangling democracy'

Karnal (Haryana), Nov 12 (PTI) The Congress here hit the streets against the ruling BJP over allegations of vote theft at the cue of party leader Rahul Gandhi, who made the accusation in a press conference earlier in the month.

The party's Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda alleged that the BJP government had perpetrated a massive conspiracy to steal votes in Haryana, "abusing its power and colluding with the Election Commission to remain in power." "The reality has been exposed before us, the BJP government in Haryana has been formed by strangling democracy," Hooda alleged.

"We must all fight together to save the country's democracy and Baba Saheb Dr B R Ambedkar's Constitution," he added.

State Congress President Rao Narender Singh attended the "Vote Chor-Gaddi Chhod" protest in Karnal.

After addressing the public gathering, the leaders marched to the office of the district deputy commissioner and submitted a memorandum addressed to the President, urging her intervention.

"We have been saying from the beginning that the BJP government in Haryana was not formed based on public sentiment, but through coercion, bribery, abuse of power, and collusion with the Election Commission," Hooda said.

"The people of Haryana were fed up with the BJP's 10-year rule and wanted change. The BJP's 10-year, most unsuccessful government had ruined Haryana. That is why the BJP changed the chief minister's face before the Lok Sabha elections (replacing Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini)," Hooda claimed.

He alleged that even with a changed face, the BJP knew that it would muster enough seats. "Therefore … votes were stolen through the misuse of power...All sorts of tricks were played." Earlier in the month, Gandhi alleged that the 2024 state election was "stolen" and cited electoral roll data to claim that 25 lakh entries were fake. He alleged that the Election Commission also colluded with the BJP to ensure its victory.

On Sunday, the Haryana unit of the party met the Congress leadership in Delhi, where it was decided that special teams would be formed to investigate and document incidents of "electoral malpractices and vote theft" during the 2024 polls.

After the meeting, Hooda alleged that the malfeasance was not limited to Haryana but was spread to the entire country. "The BJP is destroying democracy like a termite," he said.

The BJP won 48 seats in the 2024 Haryana Assembly Polls, while the Congress, which several exit polls had predicted would win, bagged 37 seats.

The INLD won two seats while Independent candidates bagged three in the 90-member assembly. PTI SUN VN VN