New Delhi [India], August 1 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Jagdambika Pal on Friday said that Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's objections to the voter list revision in Bihar are aimed at protecting illegal voters, including Rohingyas and Bangladeshis.
He said the Election Commission is an independent body responsible for ensuring that only eligible Indian citizens can vote.
Speaking to ANI, Jagdambika Pal said, "...As LoP, he should be aware that the Election Commission is a constitutional body and is completely independent. It is EC's responsibility to ensure fair and free elections. Before the elections, they must verify door-to-door the names of those who have died and ensure they are removed from the voter list. Similarly, those who have been transferred should also have their names deleted. Only individuals who are 18 years or older should be part of the voter list."
"A person who is Rohingya, Bangladeshi, or an illegal foreigner, if they have illegally become a voter, has no right to vote, only Indian citizens can vote in elections. Whatever charges he is levelling are to protect the Rohingya, Bangladeshi, and illegal voters," he added.
Earlier in the day, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has levelled serious allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of direct involvement in large-scale voter fraud with the Congress having "open-and-shut proof" of the alleged theft.
Talking to reporters on the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, the Congress leader alleged that the motive behind the voter fraud was to benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Rahul Gandhi said, "Votes are being stolen. We have open-and-shut proof that the Election Commission is involved in this vote theft. And I'm not saying this lightly, I'm speaking with 100% proof. And when we release it (proof), the entire country will come to know that the Election Commission is enabling vote theft. And who are they doing it for? They're doing it for the BJP."
He said that the findings of an investigation by the Congress amount to nothing short of an "atom bomb," with implications severe enough to shake the very foundations of the ECI.
"We had suspicion of voter theft, and we got into its granularity. Since the Election Commision was not helpful in the investigation, we did our own. It took six months, and the things we found are an 'Atom Bomb' and when this atom bomb explodes, you won't see the Election Commission in the country," he added.
Taking a hardline stance, Gandhi warned individuals within the Commission and alleged the steps taken by the EC are "no less than treason."