Despite drawing massive crowds in Araria and Katihar, the yatra has found little coverage on TV media, prompting Gandhi to call it “a blackout of the poor.”
BY PC Bureau
August 24, 2025 — Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused the mainstream TV media of deliberately ignoring his ongoing ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’, even as massive crowds joined his campaign across Bihar’s Seemanchal region.
Despite the visible turnout, Rahul Gandhi’s yatra has received scant coverage on major television news channels. At every rally, Rahul has been telling supporters that the media will not show their gatherings because it is “compromised and owned by corporates who are friends of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” He insists that this silence is designed to prevent the struggles of farmers, labourers, and poor families from reaching the national stage.
Speaking to people flanking his yatra in Katihar, Gandhi told the gathering that their struggles and voices were being silenced by a media beholden to political power. “This is not your media. ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhodd.’ Now watch TV in the evening — you will not see this slogan. You will not see this crowd because it is a crowd of poor people. It is a crowd of labourers, a crowd of farmers. Your voice will not be shown because they don’t work for you,” he said, drawing loud cheers from the audience.
LIVE: Joint press briefing by Shri @RahulGandhi and other Mahagathbandhan leaders | Bihar. https://t.co/e0S3Gjha8X
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 24, 2025
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav rode motorcycles through the streets of Araria, flanked by thousands of supporters in a high-energy show of strength. The campaign stop underscored the significance of the Seemanchal belt, where the Congress-RJD alliance hopes to consolidate support.
At a joint press conference in Araria, Gandhi sharpened his attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls was being used to delete lakhs of names belonging to Opposition supporters. “In Bihar, SIR is an institutionalised way for vote theft. People alive are shown as dead, and their votes are cut. The BJP has not complained even once, because there is a partnership between the Election Commission and the BJP,” he said.
The Congress leader added that the yatra had struck a chord with ordinary people. “The response is organic, spontaneous, and growing every day. Children are shouting ‘vote chor, gaddi chhodd.’ Even they understand what is happening,” he said.
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Tejashwi Yadav targeted the BJP over unemployment and rising prices. “They have snatched away your jobs, your land, your future. Bihar will not bow down. Together, we will reclaim democracy,” he said. Responding to questions about Union minister Chirag Paswan’s remarks, Tejashwi quipped, “Chirag is not an issue. I would advise him, as an elder brother, to get married soon.” Rahul Gandhi interjected, joking, “This applies to me as well.”
Later in Katihar, Rahul Gandhi visited makhana (fox nut) farms, meeting farmers who complained of exploitation by middlemen and unfair prices. Gandhi highlighted that while makhana was sold locally at ₹700 per kg, it was exported abroad at several times the price, reflecting the absence of government support.
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Observers noted that the motorcycle campaign, apart from energising the youth, symbolised the leaders’ attempt to position the yatra as a grassroots fightback against what they describe as “vote theft” and democratic erosion.
The Vote Adhikar Yatra, launched from Munger last week, will culminate in Patna with a massive rally where top Opposition leaders are expected to join, setting the stage for a larger confrontation with the BJP-led government.
