Prayagraj: Targeting opposition parties, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya on Wednesday asserted that instead of questioning the public mandate or sowing distrust in democratic institutions, INDIA bloc should respect the decorum of democracy.“Democracy is strengthened by respecting the public mandate, not through chaos. The opposition seeks to orchestrate a ‘regime change’ but the public will not allow this and rather, the public itself will bring about their downfall,” he said while addressing the party’s “Save Democracy-Remove Anarchy” foot march in the city on Wednesday.Taking a dig at Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP), Maurya remarked that those who level allegations of ‘vote theft’ should first examine their own political conduct.He also asserted that Congress has a history of “stealing votes,” while SP has been known for “booth capturing.”He noted that while this historic march is taking place in Prayagraj, Rahul Gandhi is watching from Vietnam, Sonia Gandhi from Delhi, and Akhilesh Yadav from Saifai.Maurya recalled that this very area of Civil Lines (Prayagraj) was once terrorised by thugs — identifiable by their ‘jalidar’ (netted) caps and ‘lungis’ — but now the mafias have been “reduced to dust”.He urged party workers to commit themselves to ensuring the victory of the ‘lotus’ at every single booth in the 2027 assembly elections.He further remarked that those who once imposed an Emergency in the country and dismissed elected state govts, effectively acting as “murderers of the Constitution”, are now talking about overthrowing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a leader who holds a cherished place in the hearts of the nation’s people.“Under Modi’s leadership, the country is advancing on the path of progress. These opposition figures talk about toppling or bringing about a ‘regime change’ in a govt elected by the people; is such a thing even possible? They speak the language of the nation’s enemies. No true patriot could ever use such a language,” he said.Maurya also claimed that despite Rahul’s appeal for a massive gathering at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, the turnout was smaller than the number of participants in the Prayagraj march.“The public has repeatedly rejected them, yet they fail to understand the message. They will realise it after the 2027 assembly elections and the 2029 Lok Sabha elections,” he said.The deputy CM asserted that infiltrators cannot be granted the right to become part of the nation’s system or its electoral rolls. Accusing opposition leaders of corruption and political opportunism, Maurya urged party workers to counter the opposition’s malicious propaganda.State cabinet minister Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’, who also addressed the gathering, compared the opposition’s criticism of Election Commission and EVMs to students blaming teachers for poor examination results.“Rahul and Akhilesh do the same thing following their electoral defeats. Instead of blaming EVMs and the Election Commission, they should look within themselves. Questioning the EC’s credibility is an attempt to weaken democratic institutions,” he said.He accused them of attempting a ‘coup’ and urged the public to ‘overthrow’ them instead.Cabinet minister Anil Rajbhar reminded Congress of the ‘Emergency’ era, questioning the Congress party’s democratic track record.“Congress should reflect on its own history before invoking democracy and the Constitution. It was, in fact, Congress-led govts that transitioned the electoral process from ballot papers to EVMs and yet after losing elections, they question the very same system,” he said.Prominent leaders including Vivek Mishra, Sanjay Gupta, VK Singh, Pawan Srivastava and others were present.