Will unveil ‘H-bomb’ on vote theft, says Rahul as anti-SIR campaign concludes

He made these remarks at the culmination of the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Patna, where INDIA bloc leaders came together in a show of strength against the alleged manipulation of electoral rolls in Bihar.

Launched from Sasaram on August 17, the 14-day march covered 1,300 km across 110 Assembly constituencies in 25 districts before reaching the state capital.

On Monday, leaders of various INDIA bloc parties – including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani, CPI (ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI (M) general secretary MA Baby, CPI’s Annie Raja, TMC MP Yusuf Pathan and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut -- joined the final march.

For the Congress, this yatra was a direct response to the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, which Opposition parties allege is being used to disenfranchise large sections of voters.

Gandhi framed the exercise as a broader threat to democracy. “This is not just Bihar’s battle. It is about whether India’s democracy will survive,” he said.

Ahead of the concluding march, leaders also paid floral tributes at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi Maidan. The rally, framed as ‘Gandhi se Ambedkar’ march, sought to draw parallels between the country’s struggle against colonialism with the present fight for electoral rights.

The march was stopped by the police at Dak Bungalow crossing, where INDIA bloc leaders were asked to address the gathering instead of proceeding further. Patna SSP Kartikeya K Sharma said the area was a restricted zone.

“They tried to stop this yatra, but the people of Bihar stood strong. The message is clear -- Modi’s politics of theft will be fought head on,” said Kharge.

Despite the restrictions, the rally turned into a major display of strength for the Opposition. As leaders rode through Patna in a vehicle with open roof, crowds greeted them with flower petals and posters of the Congress, RJD and other INDIA bloc parties. Slogans of “Rahul Gandhi zindabad!” also echoed along the route.

Addressing the crowd, Gandhi said the yatra was aimed at resisting attempts to “murder the Constitution”. “Bihar has always been a revolutionary state. People have seen how votes were stolen in Maharashtra and Karnataka, and won’t allow it here,” he said, adding that ‘vote theft’ was also a theft of rights, democracy and employment.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha warned the BJP to prepare for a political explosion. “You have heard of the atom bomb. Something bigger also exists -- the hydrogen bomb --which is coming. Once people see the truth of vote theft, Modi will not be able to show his face to the nation,” he said, as supporters chanted the slogan “vote chor, gaddi chhor”.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also mounted a sharp attack on Modi, alleging that the Prime Minister thrived on “theft”.

“Modi has a habit of stealing, whether it is votes, money or by shielding those who loot banks. He wants to win the Bihar poll through vote theft. People must stay alert, otherwise Modi and Shah will suppress you,” Kharge said.

Targeting Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Kharge further said, “He (Nitish) once spoke of socialism. Now, he has joined hands with the BJP-RSS. They will discard him soon. This double engine government will not last. After a few months, a new government of the poor, Dalits, backwards and women will come.”

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also accused the Bihar CM of presiding over corruption. “He has become the Bhishma Pitamaha of corruption,” Yadav said, invoking the Mahabharata figure.

“He is not in his senses. The people of Bihar will throw him out. Two BJP leaders, with the help of the Election Commission, want to finish democracy in this country,” he said.