Highlights of the AICC General Secretary Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s speech at the ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod! Mega Rally’ at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on December 14, 2025.

A very warm welcome to everyone at this gathering, and my dear fellow workers, brothers and sisters, welcome to the polluted air of Delhi. Especially to my brothers and sisters who have come from Uttar Pradesh, you have worked very hard, a very warm welcome to you all. You came out early this morning in the cold and fog; I saw your videos and photos, thank you very much for that. Now, let's all shout a slogan so loudly that it echoes all the way to the Prime Minister's residence – Vote Chor (the crowd completed the slogan – gaddi Chhod), Vote Chor (the crowd said – gaddi Chhod), Vote Chor (the crowd said – gaddi Chhod).

It is very important to understand what this vote is and what its value is in our lives. A long time ago, when the struggle for independence was beginning and Jawaharlal Nehru was traveling to different places to meet people, a slogan would echo wherever he went: the people of the country would cheer "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" (Victory to Mother India). At that time, Nehru Ji explained what Bharat Mata (Mother India) represents. He said that India's natural resources—India's rivers, India's mountains, India's fields—are indeed Bharat Mata, but the people of India, every son and daughter of this land, are also a part of Bharat Mata. In a way, they are all Bharat Mata herself.

And it was this thinking, this sentiment, that shaped our Constitution. It was this sentiment that gave each and every one of you a vote, granting you your greatest right: the right to choose your government and to remove it. It was this thinking, this sentiment, that created institutions to strengthen democracy. What kind of institutions were these? The judiciary, the media, Parliament, the political parties of which we are a part, the opposition parties, the leaders of the ruling party, the Election Commission... all of these were created to protect the interests of the people. Therefore, when we see today that all these institutions are being crushed, every Indian citizen should rise up, wake up, and understand that this attack is not just on these institutions, but on all of us, on every son and daughter of this country, and it is extremely important to understand this. Today, the judiciary is under pressure. All the media, my brothers and sisters from the media who are standing here, are helpless. All the media belongs either to Adani or to Ambani.

Today, the situation is such that in the last general election, Chief Ministers were put in jail, the Congress Party's bank account was frozen, and various baseless allegations of corruption were leveled against them. The ED, Income Tax Department, and CBI were sent after them, and as those with weak resolve, who couldn't withstand the pressure, joined their party, their "washing machine" cleansed them of all their alleged wrongdoings, making them appear pure.

Look at Parliament today; there are hardly one or two debates in a session. And when we said, when Rahul Gandhi raised the issue, when Kharge ji raised the issue that we wanted to have a debate on the elections, on the EVMs... on the way votes are being stolen, they panicked, they didn't agree. Finally, how did they agree? Only after we insisted that we would also discuss ‘Vande Mataram’. So, we keep debating in Parliament about whose national anthem it is, how the national anthem was created, why it was created, and yet they don't dare to discuss the real problems you're facing—unemployment, inflation, paper leaks... Why don't they dare? Because if they had to fight a real election, I challenge them, let them fight a fair election, a ballot election, and they themselves know they will never win.

You don't need to be disappointed today that you lost the Bihar election, because the whole country is watching and knows that they won through fraudulent means. Rahul Gandhi held a press conference, where he first talked about Haryana, then Maharashtra, then Karnataka... In Bihar, 65 lakh votes were manipulated through an alleged "systematic irregularities report," and if you disregard all this evidence, one clear and simple fact emerges: you are distributing 10,000 rupees during the election period, and no one is stopping you. The Election Commission is turning a blind eye, so if this isn't election fraud, then what is? They have no answer. They know that the public is angry with them today.

Look, they seem shaken. I see it in Parliament; their confidence has diminished. They can't even make eye contact. When they pass by, they lower their eyes (she explained, demonstrating with a gesture). Their confidence has decreased, it has dwindled, their self-belief has diminished because the public's trust in the BJP, in their government, in Prime Minister Modi, in Amit Shah, in everyone, has completely eroded.

Today, they need the Election Commission. They cannot win elections without the Election Commission, and remember, remember the names of the three main officials of the Election Commission; never forget their names... because today they are attacking our democracy. Never before in history has the entire opposition said that they have no faith in the Election Commission. We have no faith in these elections; these elections are not being conducted properly. From the announcement of the elections to the voter list, the code of conduct, campaigning, voting, counting of votes, EVMs, and the results—they have made every step, everything, suspect. Along with them, all the institutions have bowed down before them, they have bowed down before the government, they have been forced to bow down.

Rahul Gandhi undertook a long campaign against the SIR in the Bihar elections. Why? Because they were trying to manipulate the election results in their favor by removing voters' names from the list. Now it has started in Uttar Pradesh. Three crore names have been removed from the voter list in UP. How compliant is this Election Commission with the BJP! Gyanesh Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, and Vivek Joshi!

Repeat after me: Gyanesh Kumar (the crowd chanted: Vote Chor), Sukhbir Singh Sandhu (the crowd chanted: Vote Chor), Vivek Joshi (the crowd chanted: Vote Chor). This country will not forget these three names. No matter how much they... no matter what elaborate arrangements they make to protect these people, one day they will have to answer to this country for how they tried to snatch away our right to vote, for how they conspired against us.

This government has failed on every front, on every single front! Today the dollar has reached 90 rupees. Who was crying on the streets when it was 60 rupees? (The crowd shouted: Narendra Modi). Narendra Modi was repeatedly talking about it then, why isn't he saying anything about the dollar now? Exports are continuously declining, imports are becoming more expensive, their foreign policy has failed. They walk hand-in-hand with Trump and other powerful presidents, but when the time comes, no one stands with the country. This is their foreign policy, and their policy is to hand over all of the country's assets to their two cronies – Adani and Ambani.

Here, the youth of the country are struggling with inflation, struggling with unemployment, they take exams, the papers get leaked, there's no one to help them, and they're turning to drugs. They spend the whole day on betting apps, and where are these betting apps being run from? According to sources, a person in the Prime Minister's office itself has been involved in scams with these betting apps. Is this discussed in Parliament? (The crowd said - No) Why not? Is your unemployment discussed? (The crowd said - No), Is inflation discussed? (The crowd said - No) ...My sisters are standing here, is your safety discussed? (The crowd said - No). It won't be discussed in Parliament, nor will they discuss it in big rallies, nor will they come to you and talk to you, ask about your well-being, ask you what struggles you are going through, how you are living, because they don't have the courage anymore.

Everything that was there, everything that was built, everything that everyone had built through struggle over 75 years... all of that has been ruined. So, I don't want to talk at length here. I just want to tell you that they keep bringing up new issues every day to distract you. You can see it for yourselves. Focus your attention. This right to vote is your greatest right. They have destroyed everything, but you are seeing the truth, you are beginning to understand the truth today, and that truth is your truth, you live it, it is your right, which is slowly but surely being taken away from you.

We have a long battle ahead of us, a battle to protect the soul of Mother India. Rahul Gandhi has traveled 8,000 kilometers. He walked across the country, undertaking this journey for what purpose? For justice, for the unity of the nation. Our President, Shri Kharge, at his age, I have seen him... getting off helicopters in 47-degree heat, drenched in sweat on these large stages, but he doesn't give up, he doesn't back down, he keeps going. This is the strength of our Congress Party!

This is the same power that brought us freedom in the freedom struggle. This is the same power that will never back down from the truth. This is the same power that has brought you all here today, that has given you the strength to stand firm in this struggle, alongside your Party... This is the great people of this country, and we consider it our duty, our sacred obligation, to protect your vote, to protect the Constitution, and to strengthen your rights. That is why we have come before you today, to say that we will continue to fight, we will never bow down, we will never stop.

Thank you! Jai Hind!