Priyanka Gandhi accuses NDA of ‘vote chori’, 65 lakh names deleted in Bihar

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that the NDA is attempting to form the government in Bihar through “vote chori”, claiming 65 lakh people’s names — including many women — were deleted from the electoral rolls via the SIR exercise. She challenged voters to oust the ruling bloc and pledged jobs, land and medical cover under an INDIA-bloc government

Bettiah (Bihar): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday alleged that the NDA wanted to form the government in Bihar through ‘vote chori’ and claimed that the names of 65 lakh people, including women, were deleted from the electoral rolls through SIR.

Addressing back-to-back rallies in Valmiki Nagar and Chanpatia in West Champaran district, the Congress general secretary claimed that the current situation in the country was akin to the British Raj, and raised suspicion whether the country would continue to witness elections in the future.

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“My brother Rahul today gave an account of ‘vote theft’ in Haryana,” she said, alluding to the allegations of the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha of widespread irregularities in assembly elections in the northern state.

“NDA will destroy everything… It is not clear whether there will be elections in the future… Why are you silent? Chase them out of power,” Vadra told people attending the rally.

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said that he seems more concerned about the absence of RJD leader and INDIA bloc’s CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav’s photograph from a Congress poster than controlling crime and corruption, and educating the youth.

“Whereas, Modi himself does not keep Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar alongside him on stages of political rallies,” she claimed. NDA seems to be more concerned about the future of Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav than that of the youth, Vadra said.

The Congress leader said that people of Bihar will receive free treatment of up to Rs 25 lakh if the INDIA bloc is voted to power. “We will try our best to give at least one government job per poor family… We will fill up lakhs of vacancies in various departments,” she said.

Vadra claimed that all factories were being set up in Gujarat, the home state of Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and attacked the NDA, saying, “Try to understand their intentions… Those who hand over land and resources to corporates will never work for the poor.”

She alleged that farmers of Bihar are unable to increase their income due to taxes and high input cost in agriculture. “Under ‘Modi Empire’, farmers don’t get MSP and they spend their entire lives repaying loans while the liabilities of a few businessmen are waived off,” she alleged.

“High unemployment rate in Bihar forcing youth to migrate out of state for work,” Vadra added. She said that if the INDIA bloc forms the government in the state, it would provide either a house or 3.5 decimals of land to every poor family and the registration of the properties would be under women’s names. She said that the NDA brought the Agnipath scheme in defence recruitment under which “youth will work for four years and remain jobless thereafter”.