Patna: Addressing supporters during a protest march in Patna, the former Deputy Chief Minister accused the central government of orchestrating a conspiracy through voter list investigations aimed at disenfranchising the marginalised.
“First, the names will be removed from the voter list, then your pension and ration will be taken away,” Tejashwi Yadav said. He criticised the Election Commission, claiming it had lost its independence and become partisan. “Has the Election Commission now become a wing of a political party? Will two people from Gujarat decide who in Bihar has the right to vote?” he asked.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader alleged that large-scale preparations were underway to delete the names of poor voters, warning that this would be followed by the withdrawal of essential welfare benefits.
“Bihar is the mother of democracy,” he said, urging people to resist what he described as the BJP and Nitish Kumar’s “Godi Aayog” – a term used to imply a biased institution. “This is not just about votes. This is about the rights and dignity of the poor. We will not allow this dadagiri. There will be a kranti (revolution) here.”
The ‘Bihar Bandh’, called by opposition parties, saw demonstrations across the state against alleged irregularities in the voter verification drive, which critics fear could disproportionately impact disadvantaged communities.
