PATNA: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched an attack on Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his allegations of vote theft, saying he would join BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Shuvendu Adhikari in sending the Congress leader to Bangladesh to contest elections there.
Speaking at the BJP's 'Loktantra Bachao, Arajkta Hatao' padyatra in Bihar's Purnea, Sarma said that while the Opposition spoke of vote theft, what was actually happening in the country was 'heart theft'.
“I kept listening to Rahul Gandhi saying that votes are stolen across the country. But I believe that theft is happening. It’s not vote theft, it’s work of heart theft,” he told the gathering.
Referring to the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Sarma asked the gathering whether the demolition of the Babri mosque or the construction of the Ram temple amounted to 'heart theft'. The crowd, however, responded emotionally to the issue, raising slogans such as 'Jai Sri Ram'.
Turning to the ongoing revision of electoral rolls across the country, Sarma invoked Mughal rulers Babar and Aurangzeb, questioning whether their names should remain on the voters' list.
“If the names of Babar and Aurangzeb are deleted from the voters list, is it vote theft or heart theft,” he asked the crowd.
Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi's repeated objections to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Sarma said the Congress leader was upset over the exercise to purify voter lists. He argued that names such as Babar and Aurangzeb should be removed from electoral rolls despite Opposition protests.
In an apparent reference to the US midterm election results, Sarma sarcastically claimed that US President Donald Trump had contacted Rahul after his party's defeat to learn how to conduct a 'vote theft' campaign. He asserted that the BJP would continue to prosper as long as Sanatan Dharma endured in India.
Taking another swipe at Gandhi, Sarma said, “Don’t’ worry, Rahul Gandhi; Samrat Choudhary (Bihar CM), Shuvendu Adhikari (West Bengal CM) and I (Hemanta Biswa Sarma, CM of Assam) will all work together to parachute you into Bangladesh. You will surely win an election there.”
He also questioned whether Gandhi had visited the Ayodhya Ram temple, suggesting that Sanatani voters might not support him if he had not.
Speaking to reporters during the BJP-led padyatra, Sarma expressed confidence that people would continue to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the country forward.