Congress presidents Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and others are seen during the party’s ‘Vote Chor Gaddi Chod’ rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on December 14, 2025. | Photo credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
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 the Ramlila grounds in Delhi, where party chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that those indulging in alleged vote chori (theft) are “gadars” (trait to be deprived of power).
Former party chief Rahul Gandhi said the chori vote is in BJP’s DNA but the Congress will 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 falsehood). We will stand for ‘satya’ and remove (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, (Home Minister) Amit Shah and the RSS government from the country. They have ‘satta’ (power) and indulge in ‘vote chori’,” Mr Gandhi said.
The party showcased the nearly six million signatures it collected as part of its anti-vote chori campaign, which will be presented 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 MS Golwalkar and Manusmriti will destroy the country and only Congress ideology can save it. He accused the BJP-RSS of trying to “complete the constitution and enslave the poor in the name of Hindutva”.
“These (BJP) people are ‘gadars’, you will have to remove these gadars. If you want to protect yourself, remove these gadars. For this, Rahul Gandhi went all over the country. BJP people are ‘dramebaaz’, they only believe in their own propaganda,” the Congress chief said.
Massive turnout
The massive participation of Congress workers from across the country saw a mega party rally against the alleged ‘vote chori’, with chants of ‘vote chor, gaddi chhod’ echoing throughout the venue.
Congress Parliamentary Party President Sonia Gandhi, several senior party leaders and 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 for the BJP and espousing falsehood.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged that ‘vote chori’ was not mere vote-stealing but an attack on the constitution of Dr. BR Ambedkar.
“If they didn’t indulge in the chori vote, you would have removed them from power in five minutes. Just as truth is in your DNA, untruth is in their DNA and the chori vote,” he said to loud applause.
Warns of action
Recalling that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had introduced a new law guaranteeing “immunity” to the Election Commission, Mr Gandhi warned: “We are telling you (election commissioners) clearly that this law is meant to protect you and we will reverse this law and take strict action against you.”
He also claimed that the Prime Minister had lost confidence after the alleged vote-rigging was revealed, adding that Mr Shah’s “hand was shaking” in Parliament.
“Amit Shah is brave only as long as he holds power. The day the power is gone, his bravery will also disappear that very day,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
Mr. Kharge argued that only Congress ideology can “save the country”. “The seeds sown by the RSS-BJP are very dangerous,” he said, adding that the Congress’ fight was against the RSS-BJP and those who thrive on stealing votes.
Referring to Mr. Modi’s claim of victory, Mr. Kharge remarked, “We have lost in many places but our party and our ideology are still alive. If Modi loses once, there will be no trace of him,” and urged people to strengthen the Congress’s fight for the people.
The Congress chief also questioned the prime minister’s foreign visits during parliamentary sessions.
Published – 14 Dec 2025 22:06 IST
