After the profound failure of “Chowkidar Chor Hai” campaign in 2019, Rahul Gandhi has launched a new wave of allegations directed at the central government in yet another desparate attempt to unseat Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress-led opposition has started a “vote chori” campaign claiming that the Election Commission of India is working hand in hand with the Modi government and is plotting to disenfranchise Indian citizens to further the interest of the saffron party.
The Mahagathbandhan is similarly outraged by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive in poll-bound Bihar which has eliminated at least 65 lakh bogus voters and purified the democratic process. Their anger is rooted in the fact that these fraudulent voters were supporters of the I.N.D.I. Alliance.
Notably, the Gandhi scion was asked to submit an affidavit with evidence or issue a public apology by the Election Commission. However, he insisted, “I am a politician, what I say to the people is my word. I am saying it to the people publicly, take it as an oath. Interestingly, they haven’t denied the information,” in a classic case of shoot and scoot aced by the Indian opposition.
Moreover, the startling admission made by Sanjay Kumar, who serves as the co-director of Lokniti, a research program at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies also busted their agenda. The inaccurate data was treated as a definitive truth by the Congress leadership which used it to amplify their attacks on the ruling party.
Rahul Gandhi uses kids to peddle his political agenda
As expected, the reality pales in comparison to the fabricated political narrative of the Raebareli MP who has now declared that even children are informing him about the fictitious “vote theft.”
“A very interesting thing is coming out which was not there in the last two yatras. Children are coming. It is a very strange phenomenon. They are coming to me. They are saying vote chor gaddi chord (vote thief, leave your chair). These are not adults. They are small. Now, a small child of six years has come to know and not just one, thousands. Now, the Election Commission should go and talk to these children. They will get to know,” he alleged during a press conference in Araria of Bihar on 24th August.
Gandhi added, “The Narendra Modi government after privatising public sector units now wants to steal votes of the poor through the SIR with the help of the Election Commission.” He asserted that the opposition bloc “will not allow this to happen in Bihar. The Constitution guarantees equal rights to every citizen of the country. The SIR is anti-constitutional. People of Bihar will give a befitting reply to the BJP and its allies in the assembly polls.”
#WATCH | Araria, Bihar: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, "A very interesting thing is coming out, which was not there in the last two yatras. Children are coming. It is a very strange phenomenon. They are coming to me. They are saying 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhodd'.… pic.twitter.com/RyxpzgUuYJ
— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2025
When a child actually accused Rajiv Gandhi of being a “chor”
Although this is not the first occasion where Congress leaders have disseminated their deceitful narratives and malicious agendas in the name of children, a notable incident took place in 1988 when a child accused former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on All India Radio.
The former Congress chief might have conveniently forgotten that his father was labeled a thief by a child who declared, “Gali gali mein shor hai, Rajiv Gandhi chor hai” (everyone knows Rajiv Gandhi is a thief) during a live show. Interestingly, the “fascist” BJP government does not take any action on these outrageous statements by the Congress and its ecosystem, however, the “liberal and democratic” Rajiv Gandhi and his party had retaliated in an unprecedented manner.
“Gali gali mein shor hai, Rajiv Gandhi chor hai” slogan gained significant popularity in opposition to his government in 1988. This was due to the disclosure of the major “Bofors scandal.” On 27th May 1988, a program was aired from the Patna Radio Station where a young girl was told to share a joke and she responded with the slogan, reported iChowk.in. According to the claims, the AIR team faced the consequences of organizing the program. Nevertheless, more repercussions were yet to be experienced.
After this event, a question was posed in the entrance examination for the journalism department at Sagar University: “Which All India Radio station broadcast the phrase Rajiv Gandhi Chor Hai?” This turned out to be extremely detrimental for the Head of the Department of Journalism, Professor Pradeep Krishnatreya as the outraged Congress brutally targeted him.
Youth Congress members visited the Journalism Department and assaulted the professor. His face was covered in soot and he was paraded throughout the campus. Sagar University Vice Chancellor Prayag Das Hajela resigned to protest against the instance and pointed out, “This is not merely an issue concerning one individual. There is an effort to add gangsterism to politics in this nation.”
The university came together and all faculty members initiated a strike, boycotting classes until those responsible for the disgrace of their colleague were apprehended. The authorities detained 10 individuals but soon released them on bail. As if this were not enough, the university administration began an investigation against the professor. He was summoned to provide an explanation but police intervened before he could respond to the harassment as it was their turn to torture him.
Professor Krishnatreya was arrested under Sections 294 and 504 of the Indian Penal Code under allegations of indecent conduct, insult and disturbing the peace amid widespread condemnation of the action. “I was unaware of the issues surrounding the question. There was no ill intent behind it. I raised it because it was a significant event, and I aimed to assess the alertness and memory of the candidate,” he submitted in his defence on 8th August.
However, on the morning of 8th August, a group headed by district Youth Congress chief Rakesh Sharma arrived at the vice-chancellor’s office and began to shout at Hajela, demanding the immediate removal of Krishnatreya. The latter declined to comply and asserted, “Any action against him can only be taken after an inquiry is conducted and a report is presented to the university executive council on 17th August. I cannot dismiss him merely because some politicians desire it.”
Meanwhile, Sharma dismissed the horrible actions of his party workers and added that the professor did it to himself and even took photographs. On the other hand, Krishnatreya returned home without washing the paint off his face after his medical treatment. He also attended a teachers union meeting in the same state later that evening. A professor also painted his face black to show support for him there.
Consequently, starting the following day, teachers decided to boycott classes for a week until the perpetrators were arrested. However, the governor dissolved the university’s executive and academic councils, transferring all authority to the newly appointed vice-chancellor, ML Jain as an unsettling silence enveloped the campus.
Conclusion
Congress is drawing inspiration from the propaganda manual of Joseph Goebbels and is blaming the BJP for all the allegations it has faced throughout its corruption-ridden tenure over the years. The recent attack on PM Modi under the guise of children is merely an extension of the same.
