"Will not let our rights be erased": RJD's Lalu, Tejashwi vow to fight BJP ahead of 'vote adhikar yatra'

Patna (Bihar) [India], August 17 (ANI): The father-son duo of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav, jointly slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, accusing them of destroying the Constitution by trying to steal people’s voting rights away. 

Ahead of the party leaders joining the ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra,’ to be organised in Bihar’s Sasaram by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the RJD leader and Bihar assembly Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav told ANI that they will protest against the alleged theft of voting rights of people. 

“The people of the BJP are misusing Constitutional agencies, trying to destroy democracy and the Constitution. Bihar’s land is the land of democracy. We will not let this happen, that BJP destroys, we will fight wherever we want and we will not let our rights be erased,” the Bihar LoP said. 

Rahul Gandhi’s vote adhikar yatra is being carried out in Sasaram to protest against alleged electoral malpractice and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar. The Opposition parties have alleged that the Centre, along with the Election Commission, are working to ensure that people’s votes are being stolen by filling the electoral rolls with fake votes, and helping the party stay in power. 

Meanwhile, former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav said that they will continue to make sacrifices to protect democracy, and not let rights of people be erased.

“We have made many sacrifices to save democracy. We will continue to do so in the future. We will not let our voting rights we erased. We will not let it perish,” Lalu Yadav said. 

The RJD chief added, “We were discussing how the Constitution is being destroyed by the BJP.” 

Talking about the rally, which will be flagged off byformer CM Lalu Yadav, his son, Tejashwi Yadav said, “We have organised this Yatra to ensure that every Bihari is able to cast their vote. Lalu Yadav ji will be unfurling the green flag and see off the people”

“We have a hope, our hope is big. The people asking us the questions want to destroying democracy. We will not let our democracy be erased, the reality is that people’s votes are being cut. It is important to fight this. These people (BJP) don't just want to erase their rights, but also their very existence," he added.

Earlier today, Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi left for Bihar to launch the party's 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' from Sasaram, organised against the Election Commission.

Preparations are also underway for the yatra outside the residence of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in Patna. 

Meanwhile, the ECI has flagged that the time to raise issues about errors in the electoral rolls, even those in the past, was during the "Claims and Objections" period.

According to the EC, the precise objective behind sharing the electoral roll with all political parties and candidates was so that any issue regarding the same can be raised on time. The constitutional body raised the issue of political parties and their Booth Level Agents not examining the electoral rolls at the appropriate time. (ANI)