Telangana Chief Minister Accuses BJP of Vote Deletion Conspiracy

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy alleged on Sunday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is engaged in a scheme to maintain its dominance by eliminating the votes of economically disadvantaged citizens through the revision of electoral rolls. He claimed that Congress members from Telangana have travelled to New Delhi as a 'vanara sena', a term borrowed from Hindu mythology, to rally against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who he likened to the demon king Ravana. Addressing party workers at Telangana Bhavan in Delhi prior to their participation in the 'Save the Vote, Save the Country' rally at Ramlila Maidan, Reddy asserted that the BJP has previously secured victories in various states by suppressing votes from low-income groups. He stated, "Just as the vanara sena of the Ramayana marched to aid Lord Ram in overcoming Ravana, our group has gathered in New Delhi to challenge Modi, whom we view as Ravana." The mythological reference refers to monkeys who fought alongside Lord Rama against Ravana in the ancient epic. Reddy further accused Modi of successfully achieving a third term by stoking divisions among various communities based on caste, religion, language, and region. He asserted that the BJP aims to secure 400 seats in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with intentions to dismantle the Constitution and eradicate reservations that benefit women, Adivasis (indigenous people), and Dalits (historically marginalized groups). According to Reddy, despite these claims, the electorate has countered the BJP's ambitions by withholding a clear majority. He pointed out Modi's alleged discontent towards Dalits, minorities, and women, suggesting that this has led to efforts to remove their names from voters’ lists, with specific mention of Gyanesh Kumar's appointment as the Chief Election Commissioner. Reddy claimed that approximately 13.5 crore voters have already been removed from the rolls and warned that this figure could escalate to 20 crore in the following days. He described the removal of these votes as part of a deliberate tactic to eliminate 15-20 per cent of the electorate in order to facilitate a BJP return to power. Alleging that the Telangana Congress had made arrangements to transport 15,000 workers to the rally, Reddy lamented a last-minute denial of train bookings from the railways, which he accused of misleadingly suggesting that trains would be provided. Determined, Reddy asked if Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Gyanesh Kumar could thwart the commitment of Congress workers in reaching New Delhi. He urged his supporters at Ramlila Maidan to persist in their efforts until Modi's administration is ousted, expressing, "Modi must ultimately return to Gujarat."