Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday hit back at the Opposition over its “vote chori” charge, accusing the Congress of committing “Samvidhan chori” (theft of the Constitution) during the Emergency and trying to undermine democratic institutions.Speaking at the BJP’s ‘Save Democracy’ march organised in Thane against what he described as attempts to create anarchy, Fadnavis claimed international forces and social media algorithms were being leveraged to spread misinformation and destabilise the country.
“Those who shout ‘vote chori’ have themselves committed ‘Samvidhan chori’. They are the real Constitution thieves,” he remarked. Citing the 1975 Allahabad High Court verdict that set aside then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s election, the chief minister noted that the Supreme Court subsequently granted her only conditional relief, and alleged that the Congress government brought constitutional amendments with retrospective effect specifically to prevent the judiciary from examining her election.
“The Congress, under Indira Gandhi’s leadership, was the first to subvert the Constitution, the judiciary, and democracy in the country,” he claimed. Referring to the 42nd Constitutional Amendment introduced during the Emergency, Fadnavis alleged that the Congress government systematically weakened the safeguards protecting fundamental rights.
He asserted that it was only after the Janata Party came to power in 1977 that further amendments were passed to restore these protections and ensure the Prime Minister remained subject to the Constitution.
Quoting Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Fadnavis said fundamental rights were the most important feature of the Constitution, as they guaranteed equality, social harmony and justice to the last person. He further alleged that the Opposition was particularly concerned about the removal of names of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants from electoral rolls.
“We will continue our struggle until the last Bangladeshi infiltrator is removed from the electoral rolls. Indian citizens have the right to vote, but illegal infiltrators cannot be allowed to exercise that right,” he said. Fadnavis said that BJP’s “Save Democracy” march was only the beginning of a larger struggle.
Invoking the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the BJP leader said Maharashtra has a rich tradition of sacrifice for national ideals, and affirmed that his party and its supporters were prepared for a sustained struggle against forces attempting to create chaos. “We will not stop until we build a developed India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.
Shiv Sena leader and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who also took part in the BJP march, questioned the Opposition’s constant criticism of Constitutional bodies and the democratic framework. The opposition stages protests at Jantar Mantar, takes out rallies, and demonstrates right outside the Prime Minister’s residence, but absurdly claims that democracy is in danger, he remarked.
Shinde challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to present concrete evidence rather than make baseless allegations of vote theft. Taking a sharp dig at the Shiv Sena (UBT), he recalled that the public mandate given to the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in 2019 was hijacked by forming an unholy alliance with the Congress, stating that the real vote theft happened right then.
Comparing India before 2014 with today’s ‘Naya Bharat’, Shinde cited the Central government’s decisive actions against terrorism, the eradication of Naxalism, the construction of the Ram Temple, and the abrogation of Article 370, noting that Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray would have proudly patted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah on the back for these historic steps.
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