Fadnavis hits back at Congress over 'vote chori', accuses it of 'constitution chori' during Emergency

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday hit back at the Opposition's "vote chori" (vote theft) allegation. He accused the Congress of committing "constitution chori" (theft of the Constitution) during the Emergency and of trying to weaken democratic institutions.

Fadnavis was addressing the BJP's "Save Democracy" rally in Thane. The march, he said, was organised against attempts to create chaos. He claimed that international forces and social media algorithms were being used to spread misinformation in the country and to destabilise it.

"Those who shout 'vote chori' have themselves committed 'constitution chori'. They are the real constitution thieves," he said.

The Chief Minister referred to the 1975 Allahabad High Court judgment that set aside the election of the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. According to him, Gandhi then got only conditional relief from the Supreme Court. Fadnavis alleged that the Congress government made constitutional amendments with retrospective effect so that the courts could not examine her election at all.

"Under Indira Gandhi's leadership, it was the Congress that first set about overturning the Constitution, the judiciary and democracy in this country," Fadnavis claimed.

Citing the 42nd Constitutional Amendment brought in during the Emergency, he alleged that the Congress government deliberately weakened the provisions protecting fundamental rights.

He also said later amendments were passed only after the Janata Party came to power in 1977. These restored the safeguards and ensured that even the Prime Minister remained within the bounds of the Constitution.

Citing Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Fadnavis said fundamental rights were the most important feature of the Constitution because they guarantee equality, social harmony and justice even to the person standing last in line.

On the electoral roll issue, he targeted the Opposition. Fadnavis alleged that the Opposition's real worry was that the names of illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators were being removed from the list.

"Our fight will continue until the last Bangladeshi infiltrator's name is removed from the voter list. The right to vote belongs to the citizens of India, and illegal infiltrators cannot be allowed to exercise it," he said.

Fadnavis said the BJP's Save Democracy rally was only the beginning of a bigger fight. Recalling the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, he said Maharashtra had a rich tradition of sacrifice for national ideals. He expressed confidence that his party and its supporters were ready for a long struggle against forces trying to spread chaos.

Ending his speech, he said, "We will not stop until we build a Viksit Bharat under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."