Patna (Bihar) [India], July 2 : Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday slammed the Election Commission of India (ECI) for not addressing concerns regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being carried out in the state, which the RJD leader has claimed is being used to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) win the upcoming Bihar polls by denying poor people their right to vote.
The RJD leader also claimed that the Narendra Modi-led Centre will impose President's rule in the state to consolidate power.
Attacking the poll panel for not clarifying the doubts of political parties, Yadav told ANI, "Two days after the (SIR) notification itself, we have asked the Election Commission that our mahagathbandan, the alliance, wants to meet with you, a delegation wants to meet with you. Though the sad thing that in the state in which elections will happen, if Opposition wants to meet with Election Commission to raise doubts for clarity but Election Commission not giving a time for meeting itself."
The remarks of Yadav were made on the day ECI was supposed to meet a multi party delegation to talk about the SIR exercise, however that meeting had been postponed.
One President's rule, the former deputy Chief Minister claimed, "I feel that they will impose President's rule, in the coming months there is a big conspiracy, Modi will impose president's rule and take it all in his hands. It is such a big issue that voting rights are being taken away and EC is not meeting, what else do we do? Where is justice? This is injustice," he added.
The RJD leader also claimed that voting rights being allegedly taken away is just the first step, with the BJP coming for people's pensions and rations later on.
"It looks like the Election Commission has become Modi's, BJP's Commission, and BJP, Nitish Kumar is silent on this. They are losing the elections by votes so EC is helping them from the back. When they lose, first they cut votes of poor, then pension, after that ration. Modi ji will eat all that up. Voting is a right in a Constitutional democracy, and that too you are taking that way," he added.
Dismissing the plan for implementing One Nation One Election, Yadav said that the poll panel has already shown how it is not able to conduct an election in one state properly.
"They talk about One Nation One Election, but you can't even organise an election in one state properly, cheating happens. It has been made perfectly clear that there is a conspiracy..."
Earlier on July 1, the ECI postponed a scheduled meeting with a multi-party delegation which was supposed to take place today, regarding theSpecial Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar. The Commission claimed that the meeting was postponed due to 'lack of confirmation' from the participating political parties,' sources said.
Claiming to represent multiple political parties in the matter, the meeting was initially requested by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), via an email on June 30, EC sources said.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has affirmed that the main objective of the SIR is to avoid any "illegible" voter and ensure that no one is left out of the voter list.
"The objective of SIR is to ensure that no eligible voter is left out, and at the same time, no ineligible voter is included in the Electoral Roll," the CEC said in a statement.
The Bihar assembly elections are scheduled to take place at the end of this year.