'Time will come, we will catch you': What opposition leaders said about the investigative report on the Election Commission
Published 2 minutes ago
Reading Time: 7 minutes
After the publication of an investigative report by the English newspaper The Indian Express, opposition parties are raising questions on the functioning of the Modi government and the Central Election Commission.
This report claims that two Election Commissioners lodged objections '14 times in 10 months' regarding the steps taken by the Election Commission.
According to the report, "These objections were lodged by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, ranging from keeping themselves in the dark to adding new voters and deleting names and raised questions over 'unauthorized, illegal' steps."
Opposition parties have already been raising questions on the role of the Election Commission.
Regarding this report, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi posted a video on social media X.
At the same time, BJP said in a press conference that "Ever since 2014, when Prime Minister Modi ji came to power, the opposition has been continuously defeated in every election. Due to not being elected by the public in the democratic field, the existence of these parties has come in danger. Therefore, the opposition has defamed our constitutional institutions."
What are the opposition leaders saying?
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter, "Vote theft is a crime against the people of India and a direct attack on our Constitution. The BJP, RSA and the Election Commission who carried out this have committed treason. Justice will definitely be done."
Rahul Gandhi has released a video with this post in which he is saying, "I am clearly telling the Election Commission and the election officials that whatever you are doing is wrong. This is treason. Time will come... we will catch you. You are not going to escape."
Skip to Most Read Skip to content
most read
finished
skip ahead podcast
Dinbhar: Same voice, new style
Big news from the country and the world that made headlines.
episode
finished
Indian Express journalist Ritika Chopra said in her report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi lodged objections to many decisions of the Commission in the last 10 months.
According to the report, a question related to SIR was added in Form 6 for new voters in July. In May, both commissioners had said that this could not be done without changing the law. Despite this, the change was made and Sandhu described it as "unauthorized and illegal".
The report said that during the SIR in West Bengal, both the commissioners also raised questions in matters related to removal of voters' names and appeals.
TMC leader Derek O'Brien wrote on Twitter, "Five months ago, more than 60 Rajya Sabha MPs had written a letter to the Rajya Sabha Chairman and presented a proposal to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, whereas 50 MPs were required for this."
"Today, after the big news of two Election Commissioners raising objections to several decisions of the Chief Election Commissioner, now is the time to bring forward the proposal brought in the Rajya Sabha today. To save democracy, the Chief Election Commissioner should be impeached."
What did Akhilesh and Tejashwi Yadav say?
Congress leader Pawan Kheda alleged, "BJP is giving protection to Gyanesh Kumar Gupta, so that the Election Commission of India can be hollowed from within."
He wrote on In the process, at the behest of the BJP, he has single-handedly led the destruction of the credibility of India's electoral process."
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav reacted to this news through a post on X.
He wrote, "It is a very serious news that in the last 10 months, 2 Election Commissioners have lodged their objections 14 times on the wrong decisions of the Election Commission."
"This simply means that all the Election Commissioners are not able to do their proper work. If the members of an independent body do not have the freedom to do their judicial work or they are not heard, then this is a very fatal and dangerous situation for democracy. Betraying democracy by some people by becoming puppets of the government is a grave constitutional crime. This is no less than a conspiracy to destroy democracy."
He asked the Chief Justice of India to take cognizance of this matter
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav wrote a long post on X and claimed that his party gave a 'presentation on the faulty SIR process' before and during the Bihar Assembly elections.
He wrote, "We went to the Supreme Court regarding vote theft, but the Chief Election Commissioner, being the head of the constitutional body of EC, misled everyone every time by violating all constitutional traditions, democratic values and decorum."
'Modi won the election not by popularity but by plunder'
Shiv Sena UBT spokesperson Sanjay Raut has demanded 'suspension of Gyanesh Kumar and legal action should be taken against him'.
He blamed Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said, "The Election Commission comes under the Home Ministry. If the Prime Minister wants to save the country then he should remove Amit Shah from his post."
On the other hand, DMK has also demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner on this matter.
The statement of party chief MK Stalin has been published on DMK's X handle, in which he has been quoted as saying, "It has come to light that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is acting unilaterally and secretly without the consent of the other two Election Commissioners. He should no longer continue in this post. Gyanesh Kumar should be immediately removed from the post."
Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, while posting the newspaper's report on
Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has said that Gyanesh Kumar is giving orders as per his wish.
He said, "The Election Commission consists of a Chief Election Commissioner and two members, who together take decisions either unanimously or by majority. But Gyanesh Kumar is running the Election Commission alone and is giving orders to the officers as per his wish."
"The remaining two Election Commissioners repeatedly wrote letters to the Chief Election Commissioner saying that orders were being issued without the approval of the Election Commission."
"All the orders issued without the approval of the Election Commission are illegal. The entire SIR process is illegal. We demand that the entire SIR process should be canceled immediately."
Statements of BJP and Election Commissioner
After this investigative report, the Election Commission (ECI) said in the press note that the comments, suggestions and questions raised by the members of the Commission are part of its normal internal process.
The Commission said in its statement that its objective is to make the election process better, transparent and in accordance with the law.
According to the Commission, it is normal to give different opinions and suggestions before any final decision. Apart from the three commissioners of the commission, its officers can also give their suggestions for improving the election system.
ECI said that looking at some internal comments of the last 10 months in isolation does not reveal the complete picture. According to the Commission, in the last one year, about 40 new initiatives were started and many election reforms were made.
Along with the Election Commission's statement, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said in a press conference that the opposition parties, in their frustration of not being able to win the elections, have made attacking and defaming constitutional institutions their biggest weapon.
He said, "The Election Commission has clearly written in its very first paragraph that after all the official and democratic deliberations, the decision on SIR was finally taken unanimously."
"The overall story is that the Election Commission of India or any constitutional institution of India is not under dictatorial rule. They are working democratically and maintaining India's democracy."
Choose BBC News Hindi and get news alerts, live TV, podcasts... all in one place.
