Kharge Calls Anti-SIR Stir 'Second Freedom Struggle', Seeks Ballot Polls
"Governments stolen through 'vote chori' in West Bengal, Haryana, Bihar and Maharashtra must be removed": Mallikarjun Kharge
NEW DELHI: Terming the protests against the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls a "second war of independence", Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday demanded an immediate halt to the exercise, restoration of ballot paper voting and annulment of all Assembly elections held over the past two years.
Addressing a gathering in Patna to mark the 139th birth anniversary of Bihar's first chief minister, Shrikrishna Singh, popularly known as Sri Babu, Kharge alleged that the BJP had manipulated electoral rolls and deleted the names of Opposition supporters to influence election results.
He questioned the Election Commission's impartiality and called upon people to take to the streets to protect their voting rights and the Constitution.
"Governments stolen through 'vote chori' in West Bengal, Haryana, Bihar and Maharashtra must be removed," he said.
Kharge demanded that all future elections be conducted using ballot papers to ensure transparency and restore public confidence in the electoral process.
"Democracy must be protected, and every vote must count," he said.
Targeting the RSS and BJP, the Congress president alleged that their ideology was deepening social divisions in the country.
"As long as RSS ideology is not eliminated, there will be no peace in the country," he claimed.
Kharge also criticised JD(U) president Nitish Kumar for aligning with the BJP despite his earlier association with socialist leaders Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan.
He said the shift represented a departure from the socialist ideals Kumar had once espoused.
The Congress president also condemned caste-based discrimination and practices such as 'shuddhikaran' (purification), saying Dalits must have the right to enter and worship at every temple without discrimination.
"Our fight is not against religion; it is against discrimination in the name of religion," he said.
Kharge also criticised the registration of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi following his visit to Haldwani to protest an alleged purification incident.
Paying tribute to Shrikrishna Singh, he recalled the former chief minister's contributions to Bihar's development in agriculture, industry, education and irrigation.
