‘You are not bigger than the Constitution’: Rahul Gandhi puts PM Modi, Shah and CEC Gyanesh Kumar in the line of fire at mega INDIA bloc rally

Launching one of his sharpest attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused the BJP of stealing elections through alleged manipulation of voter lists and electronic voting machines, warning that those responsible would face legal action, and declared that the Opposition would not allow the Constitution and democracy to be destroyed.

Addressing the INDIA bloc's 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' mega rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, Gandhi said the gathering was not the voice of any one political party or its leaders, but of India's youth, farmers and labourers. He warned the ruling establishment that no amount of wealth or political power could place it above the Constitution.

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"We had to send a message to the country, to Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Gyanesh Kumar. This is not the voice of one political party or of its leaders. This is the voice of India's youth, farmers and labourers. This voice is saying that we will not let democracy end in India or allow the Constitution to be destroyed," he said.

"You may consider yourself very powerful and wealthy, but you are not bigger than the Constitution."

‘13.5 crore voters removed’: Gandhi's vote chori charge

Gandhi alleged that electoral manipulation had been taking place across the country for years, accusing the BJP of using both EVMs and voter-list revisions to influence election outcomes.

Citing elections in West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he claimed that voters had been added to and removed from electoral rolls to benefit the ruling party.

"Vote chori has been happening in this country for years. Mamata ji gave examples of Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections also saw vote chori. Votes were stolen through EVMs, while people were removed from and added to voter lists," he said.

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Claiming that 13.5 crore voters had been removed from electoral rolls after the 2024 elections, Gandhi said this amounted to 15% of India's electorate. He also pointed to the roughly three-percentage-point difference between the NDA and the Opposition in the 2024 general election to argue that the alleged deletions had serious implications for electoral outcomes.

"These elections were illegal and stolen. The Election Commission itself is saying that 13.5 crore voters have been removed from the lists," he said.

‘Gyanesh Kumar will be removed and jailed’

Escalating his attack on the Election Commission, Gandhi said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar would be removed from office and face imprisonment. He described the alleged manipulation of voter lists as far more serious than an ordinary theft, calling it an attack on the voice of the country.

"This is not some minor theft, where someone steals something from a shop and gets jailed for it. This is the theft of India's voice. In legal terms, it is the rarest of rare crimes. This is treason," he said.

Gandhi alleged that without the CEC's actions, Modi and Shah would not have won their respective positions as Prime Minister and Union Home Minister.

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He further warned the BJP's top leadership that the Opposition's next confrontation would be directly with them after taking on the CEC.

"Amit Shah said Narendra Modi is not going anywhere. Narendra Modi cannot go anywhere; we will not let him. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, please understand: after Gyanesh Kumar, we are going to stand before you. Legal steps will be taken against all of you, and the country will get justice," Gandhi said.

"You should not think about running away. You cannot. You will have to stay here, and the country will demand justice from you."

‘Institutions belong to India's youth’: Attack on BJP, corporate concentration

Gandhi also accused the BJP of capturing key institutions, including the CBI, Enforcement Directorate, judiciary and police, and argued that their functioning had consequences for ordinary citizens.

"The CBI, ED, judiciary and police all belong to India and its youth. They have captured these institutions," he said.

He linked what he described as the concentration of power and wealth to unemployment, farmers' distress and the struggles of workers, alleging that the benefits of the country's economic growth were accruing to a handful of industrialists.

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"Farmers are not getting their due, the youth are not getting jobs and labourers are not getting what they deserve. All the fruits are being enjoyed by a few people — Ambani and Adani," he said.

Taking aim at the Adani Group, Gandhi alleged that the industrialist wanted to gain control over education, airports, railways and infrastructure, while the government was willing to waive thousands of crores of rupees in debt for large corporate groups.

"Adani may want to capture the education system and take over every airport, railway and infrastructure asset, but we will not allow that to happen," he said.

‘We want a country where everyone can dream’

Contrasting the concentration of wealth with his vision of an inclusive country, Gandhi said farmers, students and workers should be able to fulfil their aspirations through hard work.

Invoking the imagery of Lord Shiva's wedding procession and the associated 'tandav', he said he wanted a country where everyone could participate and have an equal opportunity to prosper.

"In Shiv ki baraat, everyone can go; everyone can be part of it. In that tandav, anyone can come and dance. We want a country like that," he said.

"If farmers work hard, they should be able to fulfil their dreams and receive the fruits of their labour. If students study for 18 hours, they should get education and jobs. We do not want a country that works for just two or three people."

‘We will open mohabbat ki dukaan’: Rahul invokes Mahatma Gandhi, attacks RSS

Gandhi also turned to the Congress's 'mohabbat ki dukaan' message, saying the Opposition did not hate Modi, Shah or Gyanesh Kumar, but would resist what he described as their assault on the Constitution and the country's democratic foundations.

"We do not hate Modi, Shah or Gyanesh Kumar. We will open a shop of love. We are not violent," he said.

He accused the BJP and the RSS of spreading hatred and said the Opposition's campaign was rooted in love, peace and brotherhood rather than hostility towards political opponents.

"Our religion is the voice of the Indian people. Nobody is my enemy. The voice of Indian citizens is the most important thing for me. We will not spread hatred, but we will not let you destroy the Constitution. This is the difference," he said.

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, he said the country must protect the interests of the last person in the queue, irrespective of religion, caste, gender or social background.

"Gandhi said that the voice of the last person standing in a line is the most important. We have to protect that last person, whether they are Hindu, Muslim, Dalit, Adivasi, tribal, a man, a woman or a person with a disability," he said.

As the crowd raised slogans calling for love and brotherhood instead of hatred, Gandhi said the turnout at Ramlila Maidan had sent a message to the ruling establishment.

‘Gyanesh Kumar cannot sleep at night’: Gandhi's closing salvo

In his closing remarks, Gandhi returned to his attack on the CEC, saying the Opposition's protest had made the poll chief apprehensive. He said he felt sorry for Kumar, whom he accused of having committed a crime against the country.

"Gyanesh Kumar cannot sleep at night. I feel bad for him; he is scared because he has committed a crime. He has strangled the country," Gandhi said, adding that neither Modi nor Shah were able to sleep.

The INDIA bloc's rally was organised to protest alleged irregularities in the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demand Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.

Opposition parties have accused the poll panel of enabling large-scale deletions of eligible voters and have repeatedly raised concerns over the revision process. The protest followed weeks of Opposition mobilisation, including demonstrations across states, a march to Delhi and a symbolic public impeachment programme against the CEC. The BJP and the Election Commission have rejected the Opposition's allegations of politically motivated voter deletions.

The Election Commission has maintained that the SIR exercise is intended to identify deceased, permanently shifted, absent or untraceable and duplicate entries. The poll panel has said eligible voters can seek inclusion through the prescribed claims-and-objections process.