Karnataka CM calls for ‘Quit Vote Chori’ movement

Bengaluru: “Vote theft is taking place in the country, and we need to launch a ‘Quit Vote Chori’ (Quit Vote Theft) movement against it,” stated Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

CM Shivakumar addressed the audience at the KPCC office, Bharat Jodo Bhavan, on Sunday during an event organised to mark Quit India Day. “I appeal to the party workers in the state to put aside all other work and fight against vote theft to protect the right to vote. SIR (Special Intensive Revision) is underway in the state, and an attempt is being made to delete 1 crore voters. You must safeguard your votes. We are urging our workers and BLAs (Booth Level Agents) to protect the right to vote for the sake of life itself. We have provided guarantee schemes for the people, but it will be difficult for those without voting rights to access these benefits. In Bihar, government schemes are already being provided only to those who possess voting rights. Therefore, everyone’s right to vote must be protected. Fill out the enumeration forms and return them. Not everyone can become a BLAs; you must preserve the opportunity given to you. This will serve as a stepping stone toward making Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister of this country,” he said.

“Youth who have turned 18 should come forward to claim their voting rights through Form 6. Without the right to vote, you will have no voice. When Rajiv Gandhi reduced the voting age to 18, all opposition parties opposed it. However, Rajiv Gandhi questioned why a student who passes Class 10 and can be entrusted with defending the country should not be given the right to vote,” he added.

“Even though I am the Chief Minister, I am a Congress party worker first. If there are workers, there is a party; if there is a party, there is a government. All of us must remember this. One should not forget that power is temporary. Freedom is priceless. Freedom is the very breath of life. Today is a sacred day that laid the foundation for the nation’s independence. We are holding a sacred event at the Congress office, Bharat Jodo Bhavan. Back then, the slogan was ‘British Quit India’; today, the slogan must be ‘Dictatorial Mindset Quit Power’. Back then it was said ‘Swaraj is our birthright’; today we must say ‘Protest is our birthright’. It was on this day that the resolve for the country’s freedom movement was taken under the leadership of Gandhiji. Leaders like Nehru, Sardar Patel, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad walked this path,” he recalled.

“When Janardhana Poojary was the President of the Congress party, he took us to Gujarat, and we walked on that sacred land in the morning. As a result of our elders’ struggle, we have gained independence, a democratic system, and the opportunity to live with equality.

The Constitution is our Bible, Quran, and Bhagavad Gita. I have the tricolor flag on my shoulder; leaders of no other party can wear this. When our party workers or leaders pass away, we pay our respects by draping them in the national flag. The party has given its workers the opportunity to wear this tricolor on their shoulders, and preserving it is crucial,” he stated.

“The Congress party will never bow, bend, or back down. Congress has come to power in this state. A major conspiracy was hatched to eliminate the Congress party and the Congress family from the country. Our INDIA alliance fell short of power by just 25 seats. Power is not permanent for any party or individual, but we are continuing our commitment. Today, the country faces a major challenge. For the integrity, unity, and peace of this nation, Rahul Gandhi marched from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. In our state too, a march took place from Chamarajanagar to Raichur. People supported the Congress party wherever this yatra passed, enabling Congress to win 136 seats in the state,” he said.

“Our target is 2028 and 2029. Some are trying to create a ‘Congress-free’ India. The strength of Congress is the strength of the country; the history of Congress is the history of the country. Therefore, making India Congress-free is impossible. Was it possible in South India—in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, or Telangana? No,” he added.

“On the occasion of the centenary of the Belagavi session where Mahatma Gandhi became the President of the Congress party, we organized the ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhana’ program. In memory of that, we have decided to construct 100 Congress offices. Land has been acquired in every taluk. Unlike the BJP, we have not taken hundreds of acres. For us, the Congress office—whether Indira Bhavan, Rajiv Bhavan, or Priyadarshini Bhavan—is like a temple. Hence, we are moving forward to revamp the Congress offices. Soon, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge will visit the state to lay the foundation stone. Groundbreaking ceremonies (Bhoomi Pooja) will be held at the Congress Bhavan sites. On that day, events will be conducted across the 100 office construction locations. On that occasion, we will identify and honor 100 senior leaders (above 70 years of age) who have served the Congress party. Many among us have not received position or power. Not everyone can be as fortunate as me, the ministers, or Siddaramaiah. We haven’t been able to give even small positions to many workers. This party survives because of these workers. We have decided to honor those who donated land and contributed funds to the party. Under the chairmanship of Ramalinga Reddy, we have decided to build a Congress office in Bengaluru,” he stated.

“The government is moving forward to establish Youth Associations in every Gram Panchayat and Ward, creating a total of 10,000 Bharat Jodo Yuva Shakti Sanghas across the state. These associations will be established under the leadership of the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports. On average, there are 35-40 panchayats in every taluk, with each association comprising 150 to 200 members. It aims to foster sports, cultural activities, and leadership among the youth, as well as encourage women. A grant of ₹1,000 crore will be allocated for this. You should prepare for this and encourage youth to become members. Membership can be obtained with a nominal fee of ₹10. People aged 16 to 40 can become members. The registration process will begin this month. We must send a new message to the state in 2028 and to the country in 2029,” he called upon the workers.

“Youth are not getting employment, and transparency needs to be brought into recruitment. We are moving forward to fill 72,000 government posts in the state. The youth will empower the state; hence, we must focus on them. We must build a New India through a Youthful Karnataka,” he said.

“Knowledge is the foundation of progress; Youthful Karnataka, New India. Faith is a great strength. In this party, practice party worship instead of individual worship. Who stays is not important; preserving the national flag on our shoulders is what matters. We formed guarantee committees at the district and taluk levels with party workers. Now, we have decided to form a six-member committee at the panchayat level.

Five fingers come together to form a fist; five guarantees came together to make the ‘Hand’ strong. A lotus looks good in a lake, an ear of corn looks good in a field, but a hand that performs charity looks good only in power. Because this Hand came to power, we implemented the guarantee schemes—providing ₹2,000 monthly to 1.21 crore women, 200 units of free electricity to 1.61 crore households, and 10 kg of rice to over 4 crore people. Women of the state are traveling for free across the state. Our programs have become national programs today,” he concluded.