New Delhi [India], August 2 : Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India and the BJP-led Central government, accusing them of systematically disenfranchising large sections of the population, particularly the poor, Dalits, backward communities, and minorities, through mass deletion of names from electoral rolls.
Addressing the AICC Law, Human Rights and RTI Department's Legal Conclave, Kharge said, "When lakhs of voters are removed from the electoral list, and this trend spreads nationwide, it must be called out. Today, they themselves have published such a list. If out of 70 crore voters, one crore is removed without reason, it's clearly an attempt to disenfranchise the poor and minorities."
Kharge alleged that the Election Commission and the government are equally responsible for what he described as the erosion of constitutional rights.
"The government and the Election Commission are responsible for eroding constitutional rights. The Supreme Court has acknowledged the seriousness of this matter, but despite several hearings, the Election Commission has not changed its behaviour," Kharge said.
He further accused the Election Commission of losing its autonomy and called the apex poll body a puppet of PM Modi.
He said, "Denying voting rights to 65 lakh or 1 crore voters in Bihar is a deliberate conspiracy to exclude Dalits and backward communities from participation. The Election Commission is a puppet of Modi ji."
Kharge also linked these actions to a wider pattern of communal polarisation in BJP-governed states.
"I want to say clearly -- in BJP-ruled states, atrocities against minorities have increased. They talk about Mughals, about chicken, about Mangalsutra -- only to divide society. The people of this country elected the Prime Minister to protect the Constitution, not to crush it," he said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asserted that the election system in India was "already dead," and alleged that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were "rigged" and that he has proof to substantiate the claim.
He was speaking at the AICC annual legal conclave titled 'Constitutional Challenges - Perspectives & Pathways'.
"The truth is that the election system in India is already dead. The Prime Minister of India holds office with a very slim majority. If 15 seats were rigged, we suspect that the number is over 70 to 80, he would not have been the Prime Minister of India. We are going to prove to you in the coming few days how a Lok Sabha election can be rigged and was rigged," Rahul Gandhi said while addressing the gathering in the national capital.
Highlighting the six-month investigation carried out by Congress, he further alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) doesn't exist and has disappeared. According to documentation received from the EC, Gandhi said that the Congress has ascertained that nearly 1.5 lakh voters out of 6.5 lakh who voted in the Lok Sabha elections were "fake"."It makes it clear that the institution that defends the constitution has been obliterated and taken over. We have such proof that will show the whole country that the institution of the Election Commission does not exist. It has disappeared. It has taken us 6 months of non-stop work to find this proof. You will see with zero doubt how a Lok Sabha election is stolen. 6.5 lakh voters vote, and 1.5 lakh of those voters are fake," Gandhi said.
The Congress leader rekindled his suspicions regarding the election system, saying that he had his doubts about "something being wrong" since 2014. Questioning the BJP's sweeping victories in the assembly elections of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi noted that they began investigating electoral malpractices following their defeat in Maharashtra, where one crore new voters appeared within months ahead of the assembly elections, ultimately voting for the BJP.