Tejashwi Yadav addresses the INDIA bloc rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, invoking the Mahabharata in his attack over alleged vote theft. (Img: X)
New Delhi: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav launched a sharp political attack on the ruling dispensation during the INDIA bloc’s ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, November 1. Invoking the Mahabharata, Yadav described the Opposition’s campaign against alleged electoral manipulation as a battle to protect democracy and the rights of voters.
Addressing a large gathering of Opposition leaders and supporters, the Bihar politician drew a parallel between the historic epic and the current political confrontation over electoral rolls. He said Ramlila Maidan, traditionally associated with performances depicting the Ramayana, had become the venue for a modern-day Mahabharata against those accused by the Opposition of stealing votes.
Taking his attack further, Yadav invoked the character of Shakuni from the Mahabharata to draw attention to what he described as political manipulation and electoral deceit. Referring to the dice game associated with the beginning of the epic's conflict, he argued that the present political battle had emerged from similar tactics.
The RJD leader maintained that the Opposition had been compelled to take up this fight to safeguard democratic institutions and protect the electoral rights of citizens. His remarks added a sharp political edge to the rally, which was organised around the Opposition's concerns over the electoral process and alleged irregularities in voter lists.
The INDIA bloc's ‘Chalo Delhi’ protest march brought together senior Opposition leaders and supporters from different parts of the country at Ramlila Maidan. The demonstration centred on objections to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and allegations of irregularities in electoral rolls.
The march began at the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction, with participants proceeding towards Ramlila Maidan. The rally formed part of the Opposition's wider campaign under the ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ banner, through which INDIA bloc parties have raised concerns about voter-list revisions and electoral integrity.
The gathering also followed a symbolic public impeachment programme against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar held in the national capital on October 31. The Opposition's campaign has placed the Election Commission, the SIR exercise and allegations of vote theft at the centre of its political mobilisation.
The rally witnessed the participation of several prominent INDIA bloc leaders, underlining the Opposition alliance's coordinated mobilisation on the issue. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee and MP Abhishek Banerjee attended the gathering.
Other prominent participants included Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, Communist Party of India leader D Raja, Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.
The presence of leaders representing different regional and national political parties brought together a broad section of the Opposition at the Delhi rally. With electoral-roll revisions and allegations of vote theft emerging as central themes, the INDIA bloc used the gathering to intensify its campaign for what it describes as the protection of voting rights and democratic processes.
Tejashwi Yadav's Mahabharata reference became one of the prominent political messages from the stage, as the RJD leader framed the Opposition's campaign as a fight against alleged electoral manipulation. The rally marked another phase in the INDIA bloc's efforts to build a coordinated political response to the SIR exercise and concerns surrounding voter lists.
