New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (EC) has given an ultimatum to the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on the allegation of ‘vote theft’. The opposition has become aggressive about this. The Election Commission directed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to either file an affidavit with evidence in support of his allegations within seven days or publicly apologize to the entire country. The Commission said that in the absence of an affidavit, all such allegations will be considered false.
The ruling BJP welcomed the move of the Election Commission, while the India Block has accused the Election Commission of acting as a “political weapon” to suppress dissent. The opposition made it clear that Rahul Gandhi will not apologize. They argued that he has told the truth and has not done anything wrong.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari strongly defended Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. He said, “I would like to tell Gyanesh Kumar (Chief Election Commissioner) that being the Chief Election Commissioner holding a constitutional post, he should maintain the dignity of his post. The way he conducted the press conference, the word ‘vote theft’ seems very mild. If citizens are not able to exercise their rights, then who will protect them? I urge him to work responsibly and ensure that nothing happens that makes people lose faith in him.”
Election Commission is in the dock…
Senior Congress leader Rajiv Shukla also raised questions on the Election Commission. He said that the people of the entire country are also not agreeing with the Election Commission. He said that instead of doing its work, the Election Commission is making statements. He said that our protest will continue, the Election Commission is in the dock. It will have to come out impartially. People are doubting the Commission.
Congress MP Imran Masood said, “Should opposition leader Rahul Gandhi apologise? Why should he apologise? Rahul Gandhi will not apologise. Whatever he has said, he has said with full courage and determination.”
He further said that the Election Commission has failed to address the basic issues raised by the opposition. Masood said, “They did not even talk about the question that has created an uproar in the whole country. They did not even mention it. They did not even mention the Lok Sabha, where so many fake voters were caught and identified. There was no mention of this either.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also targeted the Commission, saying, “We did not get any concrete answer to our questions. It was just a script that seemed to be prepared from the BJP office and was aimed at targeting the opposition. Now it is clear that the Election Commission is misusing its powers, while the BJP is using it as a weapon to attack the opposition.”
Ram Gopal Yadav raised questions on the Commission
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav said, “If the Election Commission swears before the country that its voter list is completely correct, then it has the right to ask for an affidavit. If the Election Commission makes a mistake, it asks to apply for correction, but if someone points it out, it asks for an affidavit. This is not right.”
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar also accused the Election Commission of bias and said, “We want to tell the Election Commission that you are a constitutional institution. You should work the way you are expected to, but you are not doing so. You are working like an extended department of the BJP. Here you are misleading only through words or language without taking real action.” Spreading confusion will not help: BJP
Union Minister Giriraj Singh targeted Rahul Gandhi and said, “The Election Commission had clearly said that he has to file an affidavit within seven days, otherwise he (Rahul Gandhi) should apologize to the people. I want to ask that today is August 18, how many names have he found wrong so far and submitted to the Election Commission? Spreading confusion will not help.”
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said, “Rahul Gandhi is spreading anarchy and questioning constitutional institutions. Every process has a proper procedure; if any political party has an objection to the publication and amendment of the voter list, it can raise it officially.”
He claimed that Rahul Gandhi is spreading rumors in the country. He further said, “His conduct is neither democratic nor constitutional, but completely irresponsible. Such actions are shameful for a person holding a responsible position like the Leader of the Opposition.”
JDU MP Dileshwar Kamat also criticized Rahul Gandhi for targeting the Election Commission. He said, “The Election Commission has answered the confusion, now it is time for Rahul Gandhi to do the same. The people of the country know that the purpose of the commission is to conduct free and fair elections. The affidavit is necessary to ensure fairness.”
