Jaipur, Apr 24: Bikaner BJP Minority Morcha district president Usman Ghani, who expressed displeasure with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent remarks in Rajasthan, was on Wednesday expelled from the party for "tarnishing" its image.

Ghani, while talking to a news channel recently in New Delhi, had said that the BJP was going to lose three-four Lok Sabha seats out of 25 seats in Rajasthan.

He also condemned Modi's remarks regarding Muslims during election rallies in the state.

When asked about the remarks of Modi regarding Muslims, Ghani had said that being a Muslim, he was disappointed at what the prime minister said.

He said that when he "goes to Muslims to seek votes" for the BJP, the community people talk about the kind of remarks made by the PM and "look for answers" from him.

He also said that the Jat community is angry with the BJP in the state and they have voted against the party in Churu and other constituencies.

Bikaner BJP Minority Morcha district president Usman Ghani | PC: X
 

Ghani had also said that he was not afraid if the party takes any action against him for what he was saying.

After a video of Ghani surfaced on social media in which he is talking to a news channel reporter, BJP state disciplinary committee chairman Onkar Singh Lakhawat said that an attempt was made by Usman Ghani to "tarnish" the image of party in the media.

"The party took cognizance of the act of Usman Ghani to tarnish its image and expelled him from the primary membership of the party for six years, considering it a breach of discipline," Lakhawat said in a statement.

Bikaner Lok Sabha seat went to polls in the first phase on April 19.

While addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Banswara, PM Modi on Sunday had suggested that if the Congress comes to power, it would "redistribute" wealth to Muslims. He alleged that the Congress plans to give the people's hard-earned money and valuables to the "infiltrators" and "those who have more children".

The remarks have triggered a backlash from several opposition parties.

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New Delhi(PTI): The Congress on Wednesday stepped up its campaign against alleged 'vote chori' by releasing a new video depicting how fake votes were being cast and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge asking people to raise their voice and save constitutional institutions from the "clutches of the BJP".

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi also shared the minute-long video and said, "Aapke vote ki chori aapke adhikar ki chori, aapki pehchaan ki chori hai."

Tagging the advertisement titled 'booth par vote chori", Congress president Kharge said, "Do not let your rights to vote be snatched away. Ask questions, demand answers this time! Raise your voice against vote chori."

"Free constitutional institutions from the clutches of the BJP," he said in his message to the people on X.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also shared the video on X, and said, "the theft of your vote is theft of your rights, theft of your identity."

"Save your right to vote, Raise your voice against vote theft," she said.

The video made by the Congress depicts a family entering a polling booth with two people telling them that their votes have already been cast by them and it ends with the two persons casting fake votes showing a thumbs up to an officer sitting at the table with 'election chori aayog' display plate on his table.

The Congress on Tuesday had claimed that "vote chori" was a "do-or-die" issue for it, and announced a roadmap to take its allegations to the people through various activities, including taking out 'Loktantra bachao mashaal marches' on August 14 evening.

The opposition party also claimed that as more "evidence" of "vote chori" was coming to the fore, it seemed that it was not mere theft but "dacoity".

The assertion was made after Kharge held a meeting with party general secretaries, in-charges and heads of its frontal organisations.

The meeting was attended by the likes of former party chief Rahul Gandhi and general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, K C Venugopal, Sachin Pilot, Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, as well as treasurer Ajay Maken.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Congress leader and AICC in-charge of National Students' Union of India (NSUI) Kanhaiya Kumar had said a "big issue" of "vote chori" has come to the fore.

"Rahul Gandhi ji has put forward the truth with evidence on how democracy is being throttled," he had said.

Kumar had said that going forward, the Congress will take this to the people with three important programmes.

On August 14, the eve of Independence Day, there will be a 'Loktantra bachao mashaal march' at all district headquarters, Kumar said, adding that between August 22 and September 7, the Congress will hold "vote chor, gaddi chhorh (vote thieves, relinquish power)" rallies in all state headquarters.

"Between September 15 and October 15, a signature campaign will be run to save the right to vote and ensure people's participation," he had said, while asserting that the whole INDIA bloc is together on this.

The Congress has also launched a web portal for people to register and demand accountability from the poll panel against what it called "vote chori", and express support for the demand for digital voter rolls.

Gandhi had urged people to support this demand by registering on votechori.in/ecdemand.

Anyone can click on the portal link and download "vote chori proof, demand EC accountability and report vote chori".

It also carries Gandhi's video in which he reiterated his explosive claims of a "huge criminal fraud" in the polls through "collusion" between the BJP and the EC.

He had cited an analysis in a constituency in Karnataka to support his claim, and said it was "a crime against the Constitution".

On Monday, opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Kharge and Pawar, took out a protest march from the Parliament House to the Election Commission office against the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged "vote chori", but were stopped midway by the police and briefly detained amid high drama.