Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday strongly criticised the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of removing the names of specific communities from voters lists under the Special Intensive Revision exercise and calling it an act of vote theft. He warned that Adivasis, Dalits and minorities could lose not only their voting rights but also their Aadhaar cards, ration cards, land and property in the next phase.
Revanth Reddy was speaking at a large rally titled “Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod” at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi. Addressing the gathering, he alleged that the BJP government was using deceit to target vulnerable communities. “This is not just about votes. If voting rights are taken away, tribals, Dalits and minorities will lose everything,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its leaders, including its former chief Golwalkar, had historically opposed voting rights for Dalits, Adivasis, minorities and the poor. He said it was Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B R Ambedkar who fought to ensure voting rights for the poor, which allowed them to participate in democracy and form governments.
Revanth Reddy recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had aimed to win 400 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to implement the RSS ideology. He said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had warned that if the BJP achieved that target, it would change the Constitution and end reservations. “Because people limited the BJP to 240 seats, the Constitution was saved,” he said.
He accused the BJP of now trying to impose the RSS agenda by quietly removing voting rights of certain communities. “To implement their ideology through deception, they are striking at the roots of democracy,” he alleged.
Drawing parallels with the freedom movement, Revanth Reddy said that just as Gandhi and Ambedkar fought for the rights of the oppressed, Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge were today fighting against Modi and Amit Shah to protect the rights of deprived communities. “We are standing at Ramlila Maidan against the ideology of the RSS and Golwalkar. This is not just a Congress issue. It is a serious national issue,” he said.
Appealing for public support, the Chief Minister urged people to stand with Rahul Gandhi in the fight against vote theft. He said Rahul Gandhi was fighting “like a soldier” against the Modi government and called on people to unite behind the Congress for what he described as a larger democratic cause.
