Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led NDA government, accusing them of attempting to “steal votes of the poor” through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

Addressing a rally in Araria as part of the ongoing ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’, Gandhi alleged that the SIR exercise was an “institutionalised method to steal votes,” carried out with the backing of the Election Commission. “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 said.

In a scathing remark, the Congress leader described the poll body as “election omission” instead of Election Commission. He claimed the move was unconstitutional and aimed at disenfranchising the marginalised sections of society ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar.

“The INDIA 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,” Gandhi asserted.

Apart from electoral issues, Gandhi also criticised the Modi government for “shutting all opportunities of employment” for the poor and youth. He said that after large-scale privatisation of public sector undertakings, the Centre was now targeting democratic rights.

The 1,300-km ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’, launched on August 17 from Sasaram, is scheduled to cover more than 20 districts in 16 days. It will culminate with a mega rally in Patna on September 1.