Those indulging in vote chori need to be removed from power, says Congress chief Kharge at Delhi rally

In a no-holds-barred attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission, the Congress on Sunday (December 14, 2025) held a public rally at Delhi’s Ramlila ground in which party chief Mallikarjun Kharge said those indulging in alleged vote chori (theft) are “gaddars” (traitors) and need to be removed from power.

Former party chief Rahul Gandhi said vote chori is in BJP’s DNA but the Congress would work with truth and non-violence to remove the Narendra Modi government, a path shown by Mahatma Gandhi.

“This fight is between ‘satya’ and ‘asatya’ [truth and untruth]. We will stand behind ‘satya’ and will remove [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi, [Home Minister] Amit Shah and the RSS government from the country. They have ‘satta’ [power] and they indulge in ‘vote chori’,” Mr. Gandhi said.

The party showcased nearly six crore signatures it gathered as part of its campaign against vote chori and these would be submitted to the President.

Addressing the ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod’ rally, Mr. Kharge said the ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat or RSS founder M.S. Golwalkar and Manusmriti would destroy the country, and only the ideology of the Congress could save it. He accused the BJP-RSS of trying to “finish off the Constitution and enslave the poor in the name of Hindutva”.

“These [BJP] people are ‘gaddars’, you will have to remove these gaddars. If you want to protect yourself, remove these gaddars. For that purpose, Rahul Gandhi walked throughout the country. BJP people are ‘dramebaaz’, they only believe in their own propaganda,” the Congress chief said.

Massive turnout

A massive turnout of Congress workers from across the country marked the party’s mega rally against alleged “vote chori”, with chants of “vote chor, gaddi chhod” echoing across the venue. 

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, several senior party leaders, and the Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh — Siddaramaiah, Revanth Reddy and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu — were present at the rally.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Gandhi named Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, alleging that they were working in favour of the BJP and standing with untruth.

The Lok Sabha Opposition leader alleged that “vote chori” was not merely theft of votes but an attack on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s Constitution.

“Had they not been indulging in vote chori, you would have removed them from power in five minutes. Like truth is in your DNA, there is untruth and vote chori in their DNA,” he said to loud applause.

Warns of action

Recalling that Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought a new law granting “immunity” to the Election Commission, Mr. Gandhi warned, “We are telling you [election commissioners] clearly that this law is to protect you and we will change this law retroactively and will take strict action against you.” 

He also claimed that the Prime Minister had lost confidence after the alleged vote theft was exposed, adding that Mr. Shah’s “hand was trembling” in Parliament.

“Amit Shah is brave only as long as he holds power. The day power is gone, his bravery will also vanish on that very day,” the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.

Mr. Kharge asserted that only the Congress’s ideology could “save the country”. “The seeds being sown by the RSS-BJP are very dangerous,” he said, adding that the Congress’s fight was against the RSS-BJP and those indulging in vote theft.

Referring to Mr. Modi’s victory claims, Mr. Kharge remarked, “We lost at many places, but still our party and our ideology are alive. If Modi loses once, there will be no trace of him after that,” and urged people to strengthen the Congress’s struggle for the people.

The Congress chief also questioned the Prime Minister’s foreign visits during parliamentary sessions.