Jitan Ram Manjhi hits back at ‘vote chori’ remarks by Rahul

Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Sunday took a sharp dig at Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his “vote chori” allegations, saying that the Congress leader will not gain anything by repeatedly raising the issue and that the NDA “does not pay attention” to what he says. His remarks came after Gandhi, on November 5, reiterated his allegations of large-scale voter fraud, claiming that the alleged “vote chori” was not confined to a few constituencies like Aland and Mahadevapura but was taking place across the country to benefit the ruling BJP. Gandhi had accused the Centre and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of colluding to “destroy the democratic fabric of the country” through a centralised and systemic effort aimed at manipulating electoral outcomes. He had further claimed that both the ECI and the BJP-led government were working hand in hand to undermine the Constitutional framework and “steal not just constituencies but entire states”. Reacting strongly, Manjhi told IANS, “This has made it obvious that he has accepted defeat. He came and did a ‘yatra’ for 11–12 days over the vote chori issue. What did he achieve? No one talks about it anymore except him; he alone keeps talking about vote theft. He only comes to Bihar to abuse the Prime Minister’s mother. Later, when he came here, he saw we were celebrating Chhath Puja and mocked our faith, calling it a ‘drama’. That’s why we don’t pay attention to what Rahul Gandhi says.” Confident about the NDA’s prospects in the ongoing Bihar Assembly elections, Manjhi added, “In any situation, we aim to form a government just like the double-engine government we had before. In the recent polling on November 6, we are confident of winning around 80–85 seats, and on November 11, we expect to secure a similar number. At the very least, we are confident of winning 166 seats.” @@@