Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], September 26 (ANI): BJP MP Sambit Patra on Saturday hit back at the opposition over the controversy demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that Congress and other opposition parties had launched an “aggressive attack” on the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BJP.
The remarks came amid a political row over the SIR exercise of electoral rolls following an Indian Express report saying that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the SIR process.
Speaking to ANI, Patra said, “Various opposition parties and the Congress Party in particular launched an aggressive attack on the Election Commission of India and the BJP. They alleged collusion between the Election Commission and the BJP, claiming that India's democracy was being compromised.”
He said the BJP had highlighted the issues raised by the opposition and pointed out that the process followed by the Election Commission had received judicial approval.
Patra said EC’s clarification had established that the SIR exercise was conducted with the consent of all commissioners.
"The Congress Party portrayed it as a disagreement, whereas the Election Commission of India's letter has now clearly established that the SIR was conducted with the signatures and full consensus of all three Commissioners... The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the SIR... Even when the matter was taken to the Cabinet Secretary, it was not a policy issue. Despite this, the manner in which the Congress Party has attempted to launch an attack clearly demonstrates a lack of maturity within the party, as well as a nefarious design to undermine the Constitution," he added.
Patra further accused the Congress party of repeatedly targeting constitutional and other institutions, alleging that the party had questioned the credibility of various bodies since 2014.
“Looking at the history of the Congress party since 2014, there is not a single institution that the party has not attacked. No other political party in India has attacked the Indian Army. But the Congress party and some of its allied ‘satellite’ parties have indeed attacked the Indian Army,” Patra said.
He further alleged that the opposition had also targeted the judiciary and other constitutional bodies.
“They have even attacked the judges of the Supreme Court — the apex court — by calling them ‘puppets’. Rahul Gandhi is unable to attain power, and for that reason alone, he is attacking constitutional institutions like the Election Commission and the Supreme Court. The public statement issued today by the Election Commission of India contains a photograph on its final page showing all three commissioners sitting together. Regarding the attacks that were being made on the Election Commission, the truth has clearly come to light today,” he added.
The Opposition parties, including Congress, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Shiv Sena (UBT) and Left parties, have intensified their criticism of the Election Commission, alleging concerns over electoral transparency and demanding accountability.
Congress units in multiple states also staged agitations over the issue, including Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has maintained that internal technical notes and written queries are part of the normal functioning of a multi-member body and asserted that all final decisions related to the SIR process were taken unanimously with legal sanction.
The ECI maintained that all final decisions taken by the Commission, including those related to the SIR exercise, were unanimous and carried the approval of all three commissioners.
The Congress has also indicated that opposition parties may move an impeachment motion against Kumar in Parliament. The issue is expected to come up at the Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled for September 29 in New Delhi. (ANI)
"Nefarious design to undermine constitution": BJP slams opposition criticism of Election Commission
