On Tuesday, December 9, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, stated that the government altered the law to grant immunity to the Election Commission and its commissioners.
Speaking during the debate on electoral rolls in Parliament, the LoP raised concerns about the deletion of CCTV footage following elections, suggesting it was intended to safeguard those who participated in “vote theft” alongside the government.
“Why was the Chief Justice of India removed from the selection panel for the Election Commissioner? On one side stands Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Amit Shah, and on the other, the Leader of Opposition. I have no influence in that room. Their decisions are final. So, the first question is, why are the prime minister and Amit Shah so eager to determine who the election commissioner will be?” Gandhi inquired.
The Congress leader remarked that in December 2023, the government revised the law to ensure that no election commissioner could face consequences for their actions during their term.
“Why was the law concerning CCTVs modified? What prompted the introduction of a law allowing the Election Commission to destroy CCTV footage 45 days post-election? What is the necessity? This is a matter of ‘election stealing,'” he criticized.
‘Biggest Anti-National Act’
Gandhi further asserted that the BJP engaged in the “biggest anti-national act” through “vote chori” and undermining the essence of India.
He pointed out that a Brazilian model’s photograph appeared 22 times on the voters’ list in Haryana. He accused the Election Commission and the government of colluding to facilitate “vote theft” in the elections of Haryana and Maharashtra.
“The most significant anti-national act is vote chori. By compromising the vote, you disrupt the very fabric of this nation, erode modern India, and obliterate the idea of India. Those on the other side are committing an anti-national act,” he proclaimed.
Gandhi urged the government to allow political parties access to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and proposed changes to the law.
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“Provide machine-readable voter lists to all parties one month prior to elections, repeal the law permitting the destruction of CCTV footage after 45 days, clarify the architecture of EVMs, grant us access to the EVMs, and, finally, amend the law that lets election commissioners act with impunity,” he noted.
“They (election commissioners) believe this law will shield them, but that will not be the case as we will amend the law retroactively,” Gandhi added.
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