PATNA/BHAGALPUR, Aug. 23 -- Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence on the alleged manipulation of voter lists through the Election Commission of India (ECI) during the latter's visit to Gaya Ji and accused that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is being done as a strategic design by the ECI to steal svotes in the upcoming Bihar elections. Addressing a massive public gathering in Bhagalpur on the sixth day of the Congress-led Voter Adhikar Yatra, Gandhi ramped up his campaign against the SIR, calling it a deliberate ploy by the Modi-led government to disenfranchise voters ahead of the 2025 Legislative Assembly polls. "The SIR is a calculated move by Prime Minister Modi, the BJP, and the ECI to steal your votes. They are working tirelessly to strip away your voting rights. The 'vote chor' visited Gayaji today, but he didn't utter a single word about his government's efforts to undermine democracy with the ECI's help," Gandhi charged, referring to Modi's trip to Gaya Ji, where he inaugurated development projects and addressed a rally. Gandhi questioned Modi's "stoic silence" on the issue, labeling it a tacit endorsement of electoral malpractice. The 16-day, 1,300-km Voter Adhikar Yatra, launched on August 17 in Sasaram, spans 20 districts and 118 assembly constituencies. It seeks to raise awareness about alleged voter fraud, termed "vote chori" (vote theft) by the Opposition leaders, and is set to culminate in a grand rally in Patna on September 1. The yatra has emerged as a key platform for the INDIA alliance to rally voters, especially from marginalized and minority communities, against the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Modi's visit to Gaya earlier in the day was viewed as a strategic boost for the NDA's campaign. Modi countered the Opposition by dismissing Gandhi's Voter Adhikar Yatra as a "punctured tire" and accusing the INDIA alliance of indulging in "vote bank politics" in areas like Seemanchal-Purnia. Gandhi's Bhagalpur speech served as a direct rebuttal to Modi's jibes, positioning the yatra as a safeguard for democratic values against the NDA's purported electoral manipulations. The event drew strong resonance from the crowd, including minority community supporters-a vital bloc comprising 20% of Bihar's population. Earlier in the day, Gandhi visited the Khankaah Rahmani Masjid in Munger, where attendees demanded the inclusion of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi in the INDIA alliance. They warned that excluding AIMIM could divert minority votes to Owaisi, weakening the Opposition and benefiting the NDA. The Bhagalpur gathering highlighted escalating unrest among minority voters, who voiced frustration over the INDIA alliance's alleged neglect of their issues. Supporters accused the coalition of favouring leaders like Mukesh Sahni, representing a mere 2% voter base, while ignoring demands for better minority representation. The call for inclusion of Owaisi's AIMIM, especially as the outfit is potent in Seemanchal, presents a strategic hurdle for the INDIA bloc, as vote split could favour the NDA. Gandhi was accompanied in Bhagalpur by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) representatives, underscoring the INDIA alliance's solidarity. Congress leader KC Venugopal, present at the event, claimed "concrete evidence" of voter deletions had surfaced during the yatra and called for Supreme Court intervention to uphold electoral fairness. In a parallel development, at a joint press conference in Akbarpur, Bhagalpur, on the yatra's sixth day, Congress-RJD Mahagathbandhan leaders unleashed a barrage of criticism against the BJP-JDU alliance, charging them with eroding democracy via vote manipulation and betraying public trust. RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav jabbed at Modi, suggesting he install warning boards on inaugurated bridges: "Use this bridge at your own risk. Our NDA government holds a world record for bridge collapses, and every child in Bihar knows the billions looted in corrupt bridge construction. This bridge may collapse tomorrow, so cross at your own responsibility." Vikassheel Insaan Party chief Mukesh Sahni accused the BJP of treating public trust as "pocket money," plundering farmers' earnings, misleading youth with fake job promises, and converting votes into a "private company token." He quipped, "The BJP doesn't contest elections; it loots them." RJD MP Sanjay Yadav branded the BJP a "vote theft company," alleging the ECI functions as its "back office." He mockingly proposed renaming the BJP as "Vote Chor Company Private Limited," with PM Modi as owner, Amit Shah as agent, and chief ministers as contractors. Yadav charged the BJP with denying farmers MSP, leaking exam papers to defraud youth, and turning democracy into a "spectacle" by dominating the ECI. As the Yatra builds momentum, it has become central to the Opposition's bid to dismantle the NDA's hold on Bihar....