"Should apologise for gathering people who abuse Bihar": Giriraj Singh on Stalin, Revanth Reddy joining Voter Adhikar Yatra

New Delhi [India], August 27 : Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi over his 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', asking him to apologise for gathering people who "abuse" Bihar and its people.
Notably, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister participated in the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' today in Darbhanga, while his Telangana counterpart, Revanth Reddy, had joined the yatra on Tuesday.
In December 2023, Revanth Reddy, who was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Telangana, allegedly stated that their "DNA is better than Bihar's DNA."
Union Minister Singh further called Rahul Gandhi a "liar."
"Rahul Gandhi is a liar... Yes, we will stay in power for 50 years, but on the strength of our work. You keep lying, the public will sideline you just like that... For the way they (Rahul Gandhi) are gathering people who abuse the people of Bihar, including MK Stalin, Revanth Reddy in Bihar, they should apologise. Otherwise, they will have to pay the price for it in the coming elections," Giriraj Singh told ANI.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain slammed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, stating that the "vote chori" phrase is imaginary and cannot be found in dictionaries.
The BJP leader said that the Congress party have fallen in love with words "chor" and "chori".
"Congress has no issue to raise against the government. So, they focus only on one issue, which is an imaginary word 'vote chori,' not even found in the dictionary. They fell in love with the words 'Chor' and 'Chori.' Using these words, they are making allegations against PM Modi," Shahnawaz Hussain told ANI.
The former Bihar minister stated that during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party gave the slogan "Chowkidaar Chor Hai," but the people gave it a befitting reply. He further accused Rahul Gandhi of making nonsensical statements and mentioned that he is misleading the country.
"During the 2019 elections, they raised the slogan of 'Chowkidar chor hai,' and people gave them a befitting reply. Now, they are disrespecting the people's mandate by alleging vote theft... By making such nonsense statements, Rahul Gandhi is misleading the country and inciting people to revolt against the government. His entire Yatra is failing, and he is unable to gather the crowd," he said.
Earlier today, the 'Vote Adhikar Yatra' began in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, where Rahul Gandhi was joined by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, CPI (ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, DMK MP Kanimozhi, and others.
The 16-day 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar, involving Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, aims to raise awareness about alleged irregularities in the voter list, which opposition leaders have termed a case of 'vote chori' (vote theft). Covering over 1,300 km across 20 districts, the yatra is scheduled to conclude in Patna on September 1.
Bihar Assembly elections are expected later this year, although the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date.
While the NDA, comprising the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, aims to continue its tenure in Bihar, the INDIA bloc, comprising the RJD, Congress, and left parties, seeks to oust Nitish Kumar. In the current Bihar Assembly, comprising 243 members, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) consists of 131 members, with the BJP having 80 MLAs, JD(U) having 45, HAM(S) having 4, and the support of 2 Independent candidates.
The Opposition's INDIA Bloc comprises 111 members, with the RJD leading with 77 MLAs, followed by Congress with 19, CPI(ML) with 11, CPI(M) with 2, and CPI with 2.