Opposition questions EC sanctity; look into your shrinking votes: BJP

“The right to vote is not a mercy from the government, it is a fundamental principle of democracy… As the Leader of Opposition pointed out yesterday, ‘vote chori’ is an anti-national act. Unfortunately, instead of preventing it, our EC has been enabling it,” he said.

“What was the reason for making a law to give immunity to the CEC?… Because of the guilty conscience of the government. You know that you are violating the basic principle of democracy… now the EC needs this immunity…” he said.

Questioning the timing of the SIR in several states scheduled to go to polls early next year, Venugopal alleged that the Centre is “using” the EC just like investigative agencies.

“This hurried exercise… BLOs are under pressure that is why they are committing suicide… When the British were ruling our country… they thou­ght they can do it… by using the gun… Now Modi ji and Amit Shah ji are thinking the same way using ED, CBI, Income Tax and Election Commission; they think that they can rule this country forever,” he said.

Taking on the senior Congress leader, Prasad alleged that the reason behind his tone was the party’s shrinking base among voters. He also formally raised an objection to Venugopal speaking on SIR in the House after having publicly stated that he was one of the petitioners in the matter in the Supreme Court. “When the people do not vote for you, there is something wrong with the EC? …In the Bihar election, you did so much hungama (commotion) – Congress got just five seats,” he said.

“People did not vote for you because they saw the work of the Narendra Modi-Nitish Kumar government…Till you accept this, how will this work… I raise a serious concern (on Venugopal’s participation), let the issue be examined… His entire observations should be deleted from records,” he said.

“Will the EC be deemed correct only when the Opposition wins,” he asked, citing examples of Opposition and Congress governments being formed across the country under the same poll panel.

Speaking on the issue of freebies and immunity to the CEC, Prasad said, “When they distribute revdis, it is not revdi. When we worry about the poor, there is something wrong… They keep running to High Courts and Supreme Court for everything… Your insistence that the CJI must be part of the process betrays the sanctity of this House… You will file criminal cases (against the CEC) everyday… So is providing immunity not required?”

TMC member Satabdi Roy accused the EC of being “deaf, blind and mute” against complaints being made by Opposition, adding that this too would not save “SIR in front of Madam (West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee)”.

“It does not matter how much the BJP shouts ‘SIR SIR SIR’, in Bengal it is Madam, Madam, Madam Mamata Banerjee. You will lose again… just wait and see,” she said.

SP member Dimple Yadav said, “Elections should only be done through ballot papers… SIR needs to be stopped… monetary benefits when elections are going on… should also be stopped.”

AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owa­isi alleged that SIR exercise is nothing but “backdoor NRC”. “SIR is violative of parliamentary legislation. It violates the rights prescribed by Parliament and it is contrary to a judgment of the Supreme Court. It is a malafide exercise of power to selectively disenfranchise on the basis of religion,” he said. Owaisi asserted that the EC cannot be “bigger” than the Supreme Court and Parliament.

MoS Anupriya Patel sought to underline that the SIR exercise was “a constitutional duty of the EC”. “They (Opposition) tried a lot to create doubt in the hearts of the people of Bihar…but the election results, a landslide for the NDA, deflated their vote chori allegation,” she said.

Countering Opposition allegations of ‘vote chori’, BJP MP Kangana Ranaut said PM Narendra Modi does not need to manipulate voting systems to win polls because “he has hacked the hearts of the people”.