Bihar BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal used a Lok Sabha debate on electoral reforms to deliver a targeted critique of Congress Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi‘s campaign strategy in the Bihar election, while linking the current controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to historical instances of “vote theft.”
Jaiswal, who spoke while Rahul Gandhi was absent from the House, “thanked” him for focusing his campaign on alleged “vote chori” related to the SIR exercise, arguing it ultimately helped the ruling BJP-led NDA in securing its victory.
Rahul Gandhi Missed a “Trick”
The BJP MP suggested that Rahul Gandhi failed to capitalize on genuine issues facing the state:
“There could have been many things to point out in a 20-year tenure [of the NDA regime],” Jaiswal acknowledged. “But he kept saying ‘SIR’, ‘SIR’, ‘vote chori’… which confused the people of Bihar. They wondered whose vote was ‘stolen’.”
Jaiswal also mocked Gandhi’s commitment to the campaign, referencing his “20-day tourist trip of Bihar” followed by a “trip abroad” when the election came, in contrast to the committed election culture of the BJP.
Historical Allegations of “Vote Chori”
Turning the Opposition’s “vote chori” (vote theft) charge on its head, Jaiswal listed historical events as examples:
- 1947 Prime Ministership: He called the Congress leadership’s choice of Jawaharlal Nehru over Vallabhbhai Patel for the first Prime Ministership of independent India the “first and biggest instance of vote chori.”
- The Emergency: He also cited the 1975-77 Emergency imposed by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as another instance of the same.
- Paper Ballots: He further recalled cases of “booth capturing” that occurred when elections were held with paper ballots in the mid-1990s—a reference to the Opposition’s current demand to revert from Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Shift to West Bengal and Infiltrators
Jaiswal ended his speech by urging the Opposition to continue raising the SIR issue in the upcoming West Bengal election, as it would bolster the BJP’s own strategy for the state.
He confirmed the BJP’s plan to focus on two core issues in the state election:
- Removing Infiltrators: “We will, too, raise the issue of removing infiltrators from voter lists. Bangladeshis and Rohingyas have been illegally added earlier in these lists.”
- TMC Failures: “But we will also talk about the failures of the Trinamool government of Mamata Banerjee.”
He concluded by defending the SIR exercise as essential for “clean[ing] up the voter rolls,” which he termed the “bedrock of free and fair elections.”