New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that while “it may take time”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, whose bravado, he claimed, would vanish once they lose power, would ultimately be defeated by “truth”.

The Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition made the remarks while addressing the Congress’ ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod’ rally in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, the party’s ongoing nationwide campaign against the Election Commission and its alleged nexus with the BJP government in “stealing elections”.

“From a six-year-old child to a 90-year-old elderly person, everyone knows that Modi and Shah win polls by stealing votes. It may take time, but truth will prevail in India. Modi and Shah may deliver as many speeches as they want, we will defeat them with truth and non-violence, not violence and hatred,” Rahul said. The well-attended gathering—with the party’s Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana units mobilising thousands of workers—brought parts of central Delhi to a standstill for hours. The entire Congress top brass and its senior state leaders were in attendance. In their speeches, many senior Congress leaders, including Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, made a conscious attempt to boost the flagging morale of party workers and supporters, asserting that they need not be demotivated by electoral defeats in Haryana, Maharashtra and Bihar as “everyone knows how Modi and Shah steal elections”.

Both Rahul and Priyanka also made pointed references to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, asking supporters to remember their names. “Remember these names, never forget. This country will never forget these names, no matter what arrangements are made to protect them. One day they will have to answer the people about how they conspired to rob you of your voting rights,” Priyanka said.

Echoing his sister, Rahul reiterated his assertion, first made during the discussion on election reforms in the Lok Sabha, that the Congress, upon returning to power, would amend the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which grants immunity to the CEC and ECs from legal action for decisions taken while in office. “I am telling you from this stage, the Congress is telling you, do not forget you are the EC of this country, not of Narendra Modi. We will change this law retroactively and act against you,” Rahul said, accusing the poll watchdog trio of acting in “collusion with the BJP government”. Rahul also targeted Amit Shah, claiming his hands were “trembling” during the discussion on electoral reforms in Parliament. “His hands were trembling because they are brave as long as they are in power. The moment they lose power, you will see how this bravado disappears. Observe Modi’s face closely. His confidence has depleted. Even he knows that his vote chori has been caught, and soon the entire country will know that truth,” the Congress MP said.