Cong fighting to protect voting rights of citizens: DK Shivakumar

New Delhi: DeputyChief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday said that the Congress party’s ongoing protest against alleged vote theft is aimed at protecting the voting rights of the country’s 1.4 billion people and is not driven by any political motive.

Speaking to the media at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, Shivakumar said the movement seeks to uphold free and fair elections in the country. “We began our fight against vote theft at Freedom Park in Bengaluru under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. Today, we are protesting at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. The message is clear — elections in this country must be free and fair. Unfortunately, elections are no longer being conducted in a fair manner, and vote theft is taking place. There are thousands of such instances,” he alleged.

He said Rahul Gandhi has raised the issue repeatedly in Parliament and has also made public several documents through press conferences. “Despite this, the Election Commission has not given satisfactory answers. That is why we have taken to the streets to create awareness about the misuse of constitutional institutions,” Shivakumar said.

The Deputy Chief Minister said around 3,500 to 4,000 party leaders and workers from Karnataka are participating in the protest. “We have arranged accommodation for about 1,500 workers coming from the state, while more than 2,000 others have made their own arrangements. Some have come by air and others by train. This itself shows the commitment of our party cadre,” he said. He added that during the signature campaign against vote theft held across Karnataka, over 1.42 crore signatures were collected.

Shivakumar alleged that the BJP-led central government was trying to obstruct the protest by preventing vehicles from entering Delhi. “We hear that vehicles are being stopped from entering the city. We don’t understand why the central government is so nervous. No one can suppress our voice,” he asserted.

Responding to questions about visiting the Congress headquarters, he said party leaders have been invited there, after which they would proceed to Ramlila Maidan by bus due to traffic restrictions. He added that special T-shirts suitable for the cold weather had been arranged for party workers participating in the protest.

Reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks that the Congress was staging protests out of frustration over electoral defeats, Shivakumar said Congress leaders do not think in terms of victory or defeat. “Our party has a long history of sacrifice for the nation. Our leaders brought independence and the Constitution to this country by making immense sacrifices. Sonia Gandhi gave up power despite having the mandate. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for the nation. Leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi endured imprisonment. When the party is going through a difficult phase today, Mallikarjun Kharge has taken up the responsibility of leading it,” he said.

He reiterated that the Congress would continue its struggle to safeguard democracy and the constitutional right to vote.