New Delhi, Sep 24: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday stepped up his attack on the Election Commission and the Narendra Modi government, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar “deshdrohis” (traitors) and demanding Kumar’s immediate resignation.
Gandhi’s remarks came a day after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections on 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions concerning voter additions and deletions, changes to the voter-registration process and aspects of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Election Commission, in a response to the report, said on Wednesday that the decisions taken by the poll panel over the past year were unanimous. It said differing views and observations were a normal part of institutional deliberations and that the final decisions were taken by the full Commission.
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Addressing a press conference at Indira Bhawan, Gandhi alleged that the Election Commission had failed to protect voters’ rights and said the issue amounted to an attack on the Constitution and the country’s legal framework.
“This is an attack on the Constitution and the legal structure of the country. You were supposed to ensure that the vote was protected,” Gandhi said.
He claimed that the Congress had enough information to establish its allegations and warned that those responsible would face consequences.
“We are not going to let democracy be destroyed and sit silent. Those responsible will be punished,” he said.
Gandhi also directly targeted CEC Gyanesh Kumar, saying he should resign immediately and suggesting that he “turn approver”.
“My suggestion to Gyanesh Kumar is that he should turn approver. That would be an act of nationalism,” Gandhi said.
He alleged that Modi and Shah would eventually face investigation over their actions, saying they were “at the top of this conspiracy”.
“PM Modi and Shah are both going to be investigated for what is being done. They are at the top of this conspiracy and they will be investigated for what they have done to this country,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi also accused Modi and Shah of having “destroyed the vote” in Indian democracy and described them as “deshdrohis”.
He played videos of Modi and Shah during the press conference, referring to remarks in which Shah spoke about the BJP remaining in power for 30 years and Modi used the slogan “Abki Baar 400 Paar”.
Gandhi argued that such statements were incompatible with a democratic political environment and invoked anti-incumbency as a force that, according to him, eventually challenges governments in power.
The controversy comes amid wider opposition criticism of the Election Commission following the Indian Express investigation. The report highlighted concerns recorded by two Election Commissioners over the handling of voter rolls and the SIR exercise, while the ECI has maintained that the Commission’s decisions were unanimous.
