Rajasthan Congress launches 'Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod' campaign against BJP

Jaipur, Sep 13 (PTI) The Rajasthan Congress on Saturday announced the launch of a month-long statewide signature campaign under the All India Congress Committee's 'Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod' (Vote Thieves, Quit Power) drive, targeting the BJP over the alleged misuse of constitutional institutions and "stealing power through vote manipulation".

The campaign, scheduled from September 15 to October 15, will begin with district-level meetings, followed by block- and mandal-level preparations.

Congress leaders and workers will first collect signatures from party office-bearers and later conduct a door-to-door drive to mobilise public opinion against the BJP, state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra said.

"Rahul Gandhi has exposed how the BJP has stolen votes to grab power. To protest this, the Congress is running the 'Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod' campaign across the country. In Rajasthan, we will reach every household and collect signatures to highlight not only this vote theft but also the BJP government's failures," Dotasra told reporters after a preparatory meeting at the party headquarters here.

He alleged that the BJP government in the state has failed to conduct local body and panchayat elections even after completing five years in office.

"They have also buried the welfare schemes launched under the previous Congress government. People of Rajasthan will be made aware of these failures," he said.

Congress in-charge for Rajasthan, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, urged party leaders to fully commit to their assigned responsibilities.

"Strengthening the organisation is what gives leaders real strength. Many of us, including Ashok Gehlot, Tika Ram Jully and myself, started as district presidents. Today's district chiefs must also work with the same dedication to reach higher levels tomorrow," he said.

The meeting was also attended by former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully, former PCC chief C P Joshi, and AICC co-incharges Chiranjeev Rao, Ritwik Makwana and Poonam Paswan. District and assembly-level in-charges were handed campaign dockets at the event.

Dotasra also accused the BJP government of snooping on Opposition legislators inside the Assembly.

"Cameras have been installed in such a way that not just video but even the voices of Opposition leaders are being recorded when the House is not in session. This is spying and a violation of privacy. It is happening with the blessings of the prime minister, the chief minister and the RSS," he alleged.

He claimed that after LoP Jully raised the issue, cables of the surveillance system, which was allegedly accessible from the Speaker's rest room, were hastily removed.

"Just as Rahul Gandhi exposed the BJP's vote theft, we have caught them spying on Opposition leaders in Rajasthan. This is not a small issue," Dotasra said. PTI AG HIG HIG