During a Lok Sabha debate on electoral reforms, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the RSS and BJP of undermining the fundamental right to vote, labeling their actions as “anti-national.” He warned that a future administration may “change the law retrospectively” and seek accountability from those involved.
Gandhi characterized manipulating electoral processes as the most significant “anti-national act,” explaining that when the vote is destroyed, it undermines the foundational structure of India. He stated, “When you destroy the vote, you destroy the fabric of this country, you destroy modern India, you destroy the idea of India.”
He also criticized the Election Commission of India (ECI) for not adequately addressing concerns from the Opposition, asserting that the Commission had been “captured” by the ruling establishment. He raised questions regarding the removal of the Chief Justice of India from the selection committee for appointing Election Commissioners and expressed concerns over a 2023 amendment that granted Election Commissioners immunity for actions taken during their tenure—something he claimed was unprecedented.
Gandhi further questioned a recent rule allowing for the destruction of CCTV footage from polling stations 45 days post-election, asking, “Why change the rule? Why destroy the footage?” He described his proposals for electoral reforms as straightforward, including sharing the complete voters’ list with political parties a month before elections, preserving CCTV footage, granting access to EVM architecture, and ensuring accountability for the Election Commission.
He criticized the Commission for allegedly colluding with the government to influence election outcomes, alleging that election schedules were manipulated to align with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign needs. Gandhi presented instances of irregularities in voter rolls, claiming, “We have a Brazilian who appears 22 times on Haryana’s voter list, and one woman whose name appeared 200 times.”
Describing the manipulation of votes as a grave threat to the nation, he reiterated, “Vote chori is an anti-national act, and those across the aisle committed an anti-national act.” Gandhi asserted that the RSS was systematically seeking to control all governmental institutions, a claim that provoked protests from the Treasury benches. He portrayed India as a fabric woven from diverse equal threads, aligning this vision with that of Mahatma Gandhi, and accused the RSS of attempting to dismantle this inclusivity.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju countered that valuable parliamentary time had been allocated for discussions on electoral reforms, asserting that Gandhi was misusing it. Speaker Om Birla called for decorum among members. Gandhi maintained that the focus of the discussion centered around voting integrity and the role of the ECI.
He noted that institutions such as universities, the CBI, and the Enforcement Directorate had also been compromised, lamenting that bureaucrats aligned with RSS ideology now held influential positions. Gandhi connected this institutional capture to the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, arguing that the RSS aimed to destroy the inclusive principle that he envisioned for India.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also criticized the NDA government on the same day for engaging in the ongoing Vande Mataram debate, suggesting that it served to divert attention from pressing economic, foreign policy, and internal security issues in the country.
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