New Delhi [India], August 11 : The INDIA bloc and its leaders on Monday came down heavily on the Election Commission of India (ECI) amid allegations of "vote theft" in the previous assembly and general elections.
The opposition MPs were detained by the Delhi police this morning for protesting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, following allegations of "vote theft," after they were denied permission to march to the EC office.
The allegations levelled by Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have sparked massive political controversy across the country, with the ruling side alleging that it was an attempt to create "anarchy" and further charging them of "working" against the constitution.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has been asking Gandhi to sign an oath under its rules to substantiate his claims or issue an apology for the allegations levelled by him against the constitutional body.
However, the opposition leaders are charging the Election Commission of "being one" with the government while accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being a "dictator."
Reacting to the notices issued by the EC, Rahul Gandhi stood firm on his charge against the Election Commission, saying that the demand to sign an affidavit for data that was published by the constitutional body was a mere "distraction".
"It is their (Election Commission) data. It is not my data that I will sign (an affidavit). Put that data on your website and you will get to know. All this is to distract from the issue. This has not just taken place in Bengaluru but several other constituencies too," Gandhi told reporters.
"The problem with the Election Commission is that they didn't answer any questions; instead, the BJP answers everything. They themselves proved that EC and the government are one," Congress MP Amar Singh told ANI.
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav was seen jumping over barricades as Delhi Police stopped the INDIA bloc MPs from marching. The police installed barricades to block the protesting MPs, prompting Yadav to jump to the other side and continue the protest.
"They are using the police to stop us," Yadav complained after crossing the barricades.
Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said that the police are "arresting" the MPs trying to march toward the Election Commission's office at Nirvachan Sadan.
"We are not being allowed to meet the Election Commission. More than 300 MPs from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are marching here. Police are arresting the MPs here and not allowing us to meet the EC," Hussain said.
Moreover, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari slammed the ruling BJP in the centre, calling it a "dictator" over the detention of scores of INDIA bloc MPs, both from Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, for protesting against the EC.
"With the emergence of all the facts, the BJP has become a dictator. I don't recall a time when 300 MPs were detained like this before. This is embarrassing and a dark time for democracy," Tiwari told ANI.
Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat hit out at the ECI, labelling it as an "extension office" of the ruling BJP. He said that the EC's invitation for a meeting comes as they have been caught red-handed.
"You can see the timings of the Election Commission. Their theft, exposed by Rahul Gandhi, proves that they wrote this letter in a state of nervousness," Bhagat told ANI.
Labelling the EC's responses to allegations levelled by Rahul Gandhi as "dogmatic," the Congress MP stated that the LoP's questions to the constitutional body were being answered by the BJP, which has "tied its hands."
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who was also seen marching with his colleagues, said that the EC's credibility can be "regained" as long as those "doubts" about the fairness of the elections are removed.
As this happened, Karnataka Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna on Monday submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, according to sources from the Chief Minister's Office.
The minister has also sent his resignation to the Governor's office.
The development comes after Friday's rally in Bengaluru by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi where he doubled down on his "vote theft" charge that "collusion" had happened between the Election Commission of India and the BJP to allow creation of over one lakh "fake votes" in the Mahadevapura Assembly Segment in the Banglaore Central Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka in the 2024 elections to ensure a win for the BJP.
Criticising the protest by the opposition, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today alleged that it was a "well-thought-out strategy" by the opposition to create a "state of anarchy".
"The country can see if there is anyone who is working against the constitution, it is led by Rahul Gandhi. SIR is not happening for the first time in the country. Congress lies about EVMs, raises the issue of Maharashtra elections, Haryana elections and creates a mountain of lies. It is their well-thought-out strategy to create a state of anarchy," Pradhan said while addressing a presser here.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the opposition of not believing in the constitution and said that "these people" don't have faith in democracy.
"These people (INDIA alliance) do not believe in the constitution. Whatever one party, one family, or one person does according to one's whims cannot be constitutional. Those people do not believe in the constitution. We are from a democratic party. These people do not have any faith in democracy," Rijiju said.
Former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed the INDIA bloc leaders for protesting while questioning the legitimacy of the opposition's demands. He cited EC's claims, saying that not even one person has raised any objections regarding the draft voter list in Bihar.
He also slammed Gandhi for failing to provide "proof" regarding the alleged discrepancies during the elections.
"Is there any weightage or strength in their demand? EC has said that not one person in Bihar or political party has raised any objection till now. EC says that you can download the voter list. Everything is answered there. Rahul Gandhi isn't giving proof. They didn't provide proof in the Rafale case. This is not how a country is run. All in all, they are frustrated because they lose repeatedly," BJP MP Prasad told ANI.
BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy suggested that the opposition should visit villages and rural areas to ensure that those left are added to the voter list.
The Parliament has witnessed constant adjournments in both houses - Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha - as the opposition has been demanding discussion on the voter list revision in Bihar, and now the allegations of "vote theft" against the Election Commission.
As this happened, the Lok Sabha today passed crucial bills, including the Income Tax (No.2) Bill, the National Sports Governance Bill, and the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, without debate.