Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 9 (ANI): Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC has slammed Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for likening the ongoing political struggle of Mahagathbandhan to Mahatma Gandhi's fight for citizens' rights.

'Your surname may be Gandhi, but that does not mean that you are following the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi always talked about non-violence and peace, but there (in Bihar), you are in a grand alliance with the same looters,' Shaina NC told ANI.

'Don't spread lies because the people of Bihar know that if they want to vote for development, the only option before them is the NDA,' she added.

Earlier on Saturday, Priyanka Gandhi likened the ongoing political struggle of the Congress and the Mahagathbandhan to Mahatma Gandhi's fight for citizens' rights, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of suppressing people and undermining democracy.

Addressing a public rally in Katihar's Kadwa, Priyanka Gandhi said the battle of the Congress and the Mahagathbandhan today is not merely political but a fight to safeguard the fundamental rights of citizens, including the right to vote, which she claimed is under threat.

'The battle that the Congress Party and the Mahagathbandhan are fighting today is the same battle that Mahatma Gandhi fought back then. Even today, we are fighting for your rights, for the truth, against an empire, and that is the empire of Narendra Modi... Today, he is running this country in the same way by suppressing people, and His party is spreading rumours...' she said.

Priyanka Gandhi further accused the BJP of attempting to weaken the Constitution and the democratic process. 'Today, the rights Mahatma Gandhi fought for are at risk... One of the most essential rights is the right to vote... Today, the BJP tried their best to weaken the constitution... They started doing voting theft,' she added.

The first phase of the assembly elections in Bihar concluded peacefully on Thursday, with a record voter turnout of 65.08% of voters participating in the assembly polls.

The remaining 122 constituencies will vote in the second phase on November 11. Counting will take place on November 14. (ANI)