Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during a public address in Purnia, Bihar, on November 4, accusing him of repeatedly raising allegations of vote theft after electoral defeats. Sarma defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was winning public support by “stealing hearts, not votes”.
Speaking during the BJP’s ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ campaign, Sarma questioned the Congress’s criticism of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He argued that opposition leaders should not accept election results when they win but question the voting system when they lose.
He challenged Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders to resign from their elected positions if they genuinely believed that EVMs were unreliable. Sarma also pointed out that opposition parties had won elections in states where electoral roll revision had taken place, questioning what he described as their inconsistent position on the issue.
Sarma Links SIR Debate to Babur and Aurangzeb
One of the most controversial parts of Sarma’s speech involved his remarks about Babur and Aurangzeb. Referring to the voter-list revision exercise, he claimed that names associated with the historical rulers had been removed and described the process as “dil chori” rather than “vote chori”.
He urged the Election Commission to continue the voter-list revision process. He also made remarks about people allegedly coming from Bangladesh, saying that removing names from voter lists should not be the only step taken against those he described as infiltrators.
These statements formed part of Sarma’s political argument about alleged illegal immigration and demographic changes in regions such as Seemanchal in Bihar, Assam and West Bengal. However, his claims about voter-list names and demographic changes should be understood as political assertions, not independently established findings.
Ram Temple and Article 370 Become Part of His Attack
Sarma also brought the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the removal of Article 370 into his criticism of Rahul Gandhi. He said the Congress leader should learn from Modi’s political approach and questioned whether Gandhi had visited the Ram Temple.
According to Sarma, the BJP had gained public support through decisions such as the construction of the Ram Temple and the removal of Article 370. He contrasted what he called Modi’s “Ram model” with Rahul Gandhi’s “Pappu model”, using the remarks to question the Congress leader’s political strategy.
He further claimed that the BJP would remain politically strong as long as Sanatan Dharma continued to have a place in Indian society.
Bangladesh Remarks and Personal Attacks on Rahul Gandhi
The Assam Chief Minister also mocked Rahul Gandhi by suggesting that he could be sent to Bangladesh to contest elections there. He mentioned Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari while making the remark.
Sarma criticised Gandhi’s efforts to mobilise young voters, referring to his age of 57. He also mocked the Congress’s mock Parliament event held near party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence, saying that Gandhi might become prime minister in a mock Parliament while Narendra Modi would remain prime minister in the real Parliament.
In another part of the speech, Sarma compared Gandhi’s repeated election defeats to a record of losing elections and accused him of using the vote-theft issue to explain electoral setbacks.
Appeal for Support to Modi and the NDA
Towards the end of his address, Sarma appealed to people in Bihar to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government led by Samrat Choudhary in the state. He spoke about development, infrastructure, highways, railways and welfare schemes, and said Bihar should focus on progress rather than political arguments surrounding Rahul Gandhi.
He also said the country’s competition should be with major global powers such as the United States, China and Europe, rather than neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal.
The speech reflects the BJP’s broader political response to the opposition’s allegations concerning voter-list irregularities and EVMs. While Sarma strongly defended the government’s position, the questions surrounding electoral roll revision and voting procedures remain matters of political debate.
Relevant source links:
- The Week / PTI: Sarma says Modi is winning hearts, not votes
- ThePrint / PTI: Sarma criticises Rahul Gandhi over vote theft claims
- Republic World: Sarma’s remarks on Rahul Gandhi and Sanatan Dharma
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