- 17 minutes ago
Following the opposition's mock impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and a mass rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan alleging 'vote chori', Home Minister Amit Shah led a counter-offensive with a padayatra in Hyderabad, accusing the Congress and opposition of protecting infiltrators. Debating the issue, senior BJP leader and MP Ravi Shankar Prasad defended the nationwide SIR exercise as a statutory necessity to clean electoral rolls, accusing Rahul Gandhi of demeaning constitutional bodies after successive electoral defeats. In contrast, Congress MP Manickam Tagore accused the ruling party and the Election Commission of systematic voter manipulation and communal polarisation. The special report highlights how the battle over voter rolls and electoral transparency has shifted from institutional corridors directly to mass street politics across India.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening, you're watching NewsTrack with me, Maria Shaquille.
00:02First, the opposition's public impeachment of the Chief Election Commissioner on Saturday.
00:07Then came mega rally at Delhi's Ramli Lamaidan with a sweeping charge that the 2024 looks of elections were illegal.
00:14And now, Home Minister Amit Shah has taken the battle straight into Congress' backyard.
00:19Speaking in Hyderabad, Amit Shah turned the opposition's Vote Bachao campaign on its head with a sharp counter-attack of
00:26Ghurspaitia Bagao.
00:28So what began as a battle over voter lists has now become a full-blown political showdown on the streets.
00:35The stakes are no longer limited to who stays on the electoral roads.
00:40This is also a battle for credibility, political messaging, and above all, who gets to shape the narrative around India's
00:47electoral process.
00:48Before I bring in top two voices from both the camps, BJP MP and Senior Party Leader Avishanga Prasad and
00:57Congress MP Manikam Tagore, here's a report.
01:08The streets have become the latest battleground in the India Bloc BGP face-off over the SIR Rao.
01:15For days now, the opposition has been taking its fight to the streets, demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar's ouster.
01:22On Saturday, it levelled six charges, tried Gyanesh Kumar for treason, and passed a resolution to impeach him in a
01:30mock parliament meet.
01:38And on Sunday, it took the fight to Ramlila Maidan, turning its vote-chori rally into a show of strength.
02:07Bengal is the victim of the circumstances of this SIR.
02:35Bengal is the victim.
02:48But now with its vote-chory campaign gaining momentum, the BGP is stepping up its counter-attack.
02:54The party is no stranger to street batters.
02:57In fact, it has been a master of protest politics since its early years as an opposition party in the
03:041980s.
03:05The BGP has built its political muscle through protest, padhyatras and mass mobilization.
03:13It knows how to take a political fight to the streets, build momentum and turn public demonstrations into political pressure.
03:21And now that very playbook is being deployed to counter the opposition's vote-chory charge.
03:31Home Minister Amit Shah hit the streets in Hyderabad on Monday, slamming the opposition's Ramlila rally and accusing it of
03:38trying to protect infiltrators.
03:42He said, vote-chory rally is not.
03:49He said, vote-chory rally is not.
03:51It's not.
03:52Vote-chory rally is not.
03:53Vote-chory rally are not.
03:54Vote-chory rally are not.
03:55Congress party is not.
04:13He also mocked the opposition's mock parliament, saying Rahul Gandhi could only dream of becoming
04:19Prime Minister there.
04:30So I said that if you become a leader or opposition, you will become a Prime Minister, because they will
04:42never become in the real parliament, they will become in the Mokh parliament.
04:49Earlier, BJP chief Nitin Nabeen held two Padhyatras, one in Bihar and another in Bengal.
05:20Not just the home minister and party chief, union ministers, BJP chief ministers have also taken to the streets to
05:28make the parties
05:29Lok Tantra Bachao, Rajak Tahao campaign a success.
05:33The message is clear.
05:35It will not let the India bloc's vote-chory charge go unanswered.
05:39Two sides taking their battle to the streets, one pushing its allegations, the other mounting a counter-offensive.
05:47But the bigger question remains, whose narrative will resonate with the public?
05:52Pera Report, India Today.
05:57So the bigger question is, why is the BJP really taking to the streets when this is the party in
06:04power?
06:05Why is the BJP giving a message that it doesn't want to leave any space uncontested or unchallenged?
06:13That is the bigger message that is coming in from the BJP.
06:16I'm going to ask all these questions to Ravi Shankar Prasad, who will be joining me any moment now,
06:21former cabinet minister and a senior BJP leader.
06:25Of course, you know, the fact is that the BJP has been holding a number of these roadshows.
06:31Today it was Home Minister Amit Shah holding a padhyatra in Hyderabad,
06:36where he leveled serious allegations against Rahul Gandhi, responded to whatever was being questioned
06:42by the India bloc in Ramlila Maidan today.
06:47Home Minister Amit Shah responding to all those charges during the rally that he held.
06:52Those are the visuals of padhyatra, which was held earlier today, near Charminar in Hyderabad.
06:58Of course, the BJP sending a message that they will be going all out and challenging every narrative
07:05of the Congress party, be it inside parliament, outside parliament, on the streets,
07:12and also the larger message of the judicial battle, which is already playing out on the issue of SIR
07:19in the Supreme Court as well.
07:22So, let's play those visuals full screen, and I will request the producer to play some soundbites
07:29of Amit Shah as well, as we wait for our guests to join.
07:32Thank you very much.
08:02Thank you very much.
08:43Thank you very much.
08:45Thank you very much.
08:50I think the people who are not aware of that, tell me about it!
09:00Tell me, gentlemen, that if you say anything,
09:05that these 3 million people are all over.
09:09Tell me, who are 3 million people?
09:12Who are 3 million people?
09:17who are they? Do you want to remove them or do not remove them?
09:24Rahul says that not to remove them. Rahul says that not to remove them.
09:30Rahul says that not to remove them. We will remove them from the wrong side.
09:37Rahul says that not to remove them. Rahul says that not to remove them.
09:49has been made by Kerala, how did your government come? in Tamil Nadu, how did your government come?
10:01in Himachal, how did your government come? if it was so bad, then you should not have
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11:49leader rahul gandhi who is trying to humiliate and insult all the constitutional bodies
11:56he loses election after elections in the by elections he lost all over the country
12:01in the graduate mlc elections he managed to get just one seat scrapped through
12:07educated people are not voting for him then this whole narrative of vote theory
12:12they have gone to the supreme court the matter is pending in the supreme court
12:15as the supreme court also affirmed this whole process some suggestions were given they are
12:21being followed they should be followed the point to note is that agar rahul gandhi
12:28his whole arrogance entitlement is creating the problem and therefore we are on the streets
12:39hardly 20 25 000 people were there in ramlila as if one million people they are going to assemble
12:44but today since rahul gandhi is is speaking in this language and by the way the kind of language
12:51used against the prime minister in the home minister
12:57and this is not isolated maria remember he earlier said i am fighting against the state of india
13:13and this is being defeated by the people of india repeatedly it was time to tell the people on the
13:21street that this is the real caliber of mr rahul gandhi based upon falsehood conceit and seeking to
13:31humiliate all constitutional bodies that's what we are doing but mr prasad talking about mlc elections
13:38the fact is also that the bjp lost in nakpur and that's where the congress party won in terms of
13:45symbolism that will be seen as a loss for the party then the party lost in varanasi which is prime
13:52minister modi's constituency lost in gorakpur which is uttar pradesh chief minister's constituency lost in
13:59patna uh isn't this also a message that the electorate may be trying to send to the bjp
14:09first of all kindly correct yourself i am the mp from patna we won the patna graduate constituency
14:17teachers won we lost narrowly all right we lost nagpur but we won so many seats all over the country
14:24that you are ignoring what kind of logic is this madam maria shakir yes we have lost we'll improve
14:30it but can you completely gloss over the massive defeat he suffered in the by-election in assam
14:38in bengal in pondicherry in other places in the whole narrative of local body the elections in gujarat
14:46in shimla in rajasthan therefore you have to take the collective point of it but above all where is mr
14:53rahul
14:53gandhi one seat and by the way today opposition leaders were there but are they completely one
15:04they are not mr akhilesh sadha has gone agenda congress party and left are fighting it out in kerala
15:12but that is a separate chapter altogether but we are on the streets today for very good reasons
15:17rahul gandhi enough is enough will defeat you in the polls will defeat you in up will defeat you in
15:2429
15:25but above all we'll kill the people of india this is the agenda of this leader who is out to
15:31create
15:31anarchy in the country sir uttar pradesh chief minister has said that 1.27 crore voters and he said hindu
15:42voters were deleted during the process of sir in a way the bjp is also raising concerns with regards to
15:49the sir process which played out in the state of uttar pradesh you have examples uh coming in from amati
15:56from pilibit where the names you know which where the up ceo has also accepted that there have been
16:04faults in the sir process so my question is rather direct here mr prasad that are you of the opinion
16:10that this entire sir process is above any question
16:20you must understand one thing sir is a constitutional requirement under the constitution of india
16:28and the representation of people act before we came to power 10 or 12 sir took place during the
16:37congress regime okay the number of water was so less in 1952 you cannot have voting at two places
16:45dead people cannot be voters those who have left the area not ordinarily residing there will have
16:51to be excluded if that is the scenario then sir is important but yes i do concede that if someone
16:59has
17:00been left out he has got the right to be included based upon proper documents that's what the supreme
17:05court has also said that what the election commission has also said therefore if we are saying certain
17:10people have been left out you better include come with evidence that is a larger question i would like to
17:17highlight the point is you cannot straight away blame everything only because it is not going in your
17:24favor rahul gandhi that's the point i am trying to highlight and the way the election commission was
17:31sought to be castigated humiliated single point agenda the way the supreme court was sought to be gheraud
17:37for the first time in the history of independent india the supreme court was gheraud was it right was it
17:43fair mr rahul gandhi was there therefore he does not respect anyone therefore let us not talk about it
17:58i saw mamta ji talking about bengal i have traveled extensively in bengal the way the voters were beaten
18:08forcibly prevented from casting their votes all i have seen myself in sandesh khali and many other places
18:15now the wind of change came about and you have seen the results therefore their record is too well
18:23known now one thing i would like to highlight here they won't vote ballot paper even the ballot paper they
18:30lost miserably but you know bihar very well maria what is ballot paper every voting
18:37day at least and the dalits and the marginalized in the rural area are not allowed to vote
18:51they want the same thing to come again to manufacture every tree because the technology has completely
18:59stopped all their misdeeds that is a larger question
19:03why this not why this should not be talked about the people needs to know and the desperation of
19:10rahul gandhi is also evident because of the fact that he's not cutting eyes with the people of india
19:15and we lost 24 election in up our number was reduced but thereafter you see maria starting from haryana
19:26delhi bengal assam bihar he what a big halabulu was there on the income tax you know i remember you
19:34were
19:34there in the sir march of mr rahul gandhi with jaja sfiado we were told that the big tufan is
19:42coming and
19:42what happened they got 35 seats and india got 202 to madame unko vote nahi milta to hum kya kare
19:51mr prasad you know in opposition in opposition uh when the bjp was in opposition you played a very
19:58important role um i remember all those uh street protests that you would lead along with uh late
20:04sushma saraj and the late uh arun jetli uh street mobilization is something that the bjp has done
20:11in opposition and rather aggressively now that you are doing is this an attempt to shift the debate from
20:17several uncomfortable questions about voter deletion electoral transparency and the sir exercise
20:23uh to counter uh you know because you are questioning congress's credibility but here is the congress
20:30party saying that the entire electoral process is not credible the congress party is alleging
20:38that you may be winning elections but these are not legitimate victories
20:46i quite appreciate that question if rahul gandhi has certain moral sense left you resign
20:55let all your governments resigned from himachal pradesh to uh telangana to karnataka let piyanka gandhi
21:04resign let mr karger resign didn't rahul gandhi say all the elections from 24 have been compromised he said
21:12that no and how foolish it was that mr gyanesh kumar came in the election commission in the year 25
21:19but
21:21the larger narrative is simply this this ugly face of rahul gandhi has to be exposed i do agree with
21:34you
21:35we have been activists i go a long way in the jp movement also yes but at some point in
21:40time you
21:41have to put a full stop or not you came to power we accepted it didn't we accepted manmohan singh
21:47coming
21:47again in spite of all these things we waited till 2014 or not we did protest against the massive
21:53corruption but once he was re-elected in the year 2009 again we waited for our turn at 2014 okay
22:00didn't
22:00do this is how you have to go the democratic process if rahul gandhi does not have the patience
22:07or the understanding of the whole democratic process then we can't make him understand but yes
22:14since he is the lop demeaning all the constitutional institutions therefore it is legitimate necessary
22:21desirable to come on the street and tell the people what kind of leader he is and where he is
22:27taking
22:27the country forward will he take it forward i will bring anarchy in the country that's narrative
22:33we are explaining to the people what is wrong in that all right ravishanka prasad senior bjp leader
22:40former minister really appreciate your time thank you so much for joining me here on india today
22:44joining me now is the senior congress leader manikam tigur manikam tigur we are seeing the bjp also take
22:51to the streets hold padhyatras today it was home minister amit shah doing a padhyatra in hyderabad the
22:58bjp continues to level this charge that when the congress wins then it's the victory of the people
23:02but when they lose they blame sir or the evium machines so do in the words of home minister amit
23:09shah this is a case of nach na jane angan teda the main issue is that bjp for the past
23:18years has been
23:19doing vote story in different models there are models of that different kind of models are up
23:26uh was there and it may be a karnataka model there is a jurat model there is a madhya
23:34pradesh model there is different kind of models are there before we are not saying that if we win
23:41karnataka also in that karnataka victory also there was a model in in one constituency which is
23:48which still uh the sit is uh asking the election commission that wrote 12 times but there is no reply
23:55from the election commission cooperation is not happening before it is a very clear cut that
23:59rahul gandhiji the leader of opposition has been saying very clearly that if it is a fair elections
24:05happens in india bjp would have lost long back but the problem with bjp particularly with ramesha
24:12has become an expert in this kind of um uh vote jury things therefore they are able to
24:19who scale it up into that level and people have now now got evidences and that's the main issue is
24:26that we had gone to people with evidences and mr rahul gandhiji is leading that march now uh rahul
24:32gandhiji has walked from baraj jodo from kashmir to kanya gumbari now at last because of vote chori mr
24:38amisha we are able to make him to walk in hyderabad streets at last day they had come to know
24:42the streets
24:43also now they are forced to walk in the road and they are able to because the public pressure is
24:49they understand the public pressure it's a huge um because of the price rise all other inflationary
24:57failure of the government economic policies people are getting affected therefore they wanted to go
25:02back to the communal uh rhetoric only therefore today also in hyderabad mr amisha spoke about
25:09the same model of communal divisions only we are not going for any communal division we are very
25:17clear that we are we want the democracy to be saved each one of your vote my vote and any
25:22any indians
25:23every indian the vote has to be saved and they should have whatever what they wanted to pull whomever
25:29they wanted to vote they should be allowed to that is the thing we are explaining to people and
25:34ganesh kumar the chief ee c is the main architect of this um vote chori therefore uh we we we
25:43are able
25:43to understand that every across india this new word chori message message has gone down and leader of
25:50opposition rahul gandhiji and all the opposition leaders mamta banerjiji akilajji tejasviji all the
25:56left leaders like compared baby all of that we are all together in this fight to save democracy in india
26:02and we are taking that to the grassroot level also and delhi mo yesterday's rally was a historic rally
26:10and we all know that how all the parties came together and we were able to send a strong message
26:16across india so what has been said by home minister amit shah also becomes important and he says
26:21that you want guzpetyas to vote and then he has spoken about that how those that in that that the
26:29number that you're quoting of deletion that is around 13 crore that's what india block says
26:33that's an incorrect number this kind this is essentially rumor being spread the three crore
26:40is the number that he gives which is a rajli of illegal voters and these were voters that were deleted
26:50this is the fake story of mr amit shah which he wants to tell to his communally charged crowd
26:59it's very unfortunate that the co-minister speaks this kind of language this every muslim or every
27:05christian can't be a good bit here and 13 crore water is not small the in the 2024 elections they
27:12all
27:12voted they all voted the margin between nda and india alliance is only three percentage now they
27:19have they have cut 15 percentage of the votes now why because they don't want the india alliance to get
27:25this kind of victory more or less india alliance has won in the 2024 elections we were just the
27:33mortuary that would not happen like selected constituencies they would have been they would
27:38lost power itself but the problem is bjp who was thinking about 370 seats for bjp in 2024 has watered
27:47down to 239 by the people of india we need to understand it they were saying that they were
27:53having 303 but they were saying 370 seats they are going to win nda is going to win charge so
27:58far
27:58what happened or charge so far then this is the people has people after these manipulations also
28:05people has defeated them but we are very clear mr amisha's words is targeted he wants to create
28:12communal division in this country we want every indian to have the right he can't when those indians
28:19who had lived generations together who had sacrificed in the when in partition time also who had faced
28:26insults um faced all kind of uh bad languages against them they are still they still live in
28:35this country they should be allowed to live as indians they are all indians they had fought for india's
28:40freedom fire freedom for uh movement when rss was with britishers the same people whom they is calling as
28:47guzpetias were with with the fighting against the britishers what they their forefathers has been in this
28:53country they are all for this country and this division is unacceptable to us mr amisha's this
28:58rhetoric will be defeated by the people of india all right money come to god congress mp appreciate
29:03your time thank you for joining us that's all from me on this edition of news track i'll be seeing
29:08you
29:08tomorrow thanks