BJP’s Sambit Patra hit back at Rahul Gandhi’s ‘treason’ and ‘vote chori’ allegations. He defended the Election Commission’s internal processes as democratic and accused Rahul of defaming Indian institutions on foreign soil.
BJP leader Sambit Patra on Wednesday hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “treason” jibe at the BJP and RSS in the context of his “vote chori” allegations and said, “the entire country is watching to see who is actually committing treason”.
Patra Questions Rahul Gandhi’s Credibility
Patra, who addressed a press conference here to rebut opposition allegations on the functiong of Eleciton Commission, said Rahul Gandhi held no press conference after Congress-led UPA emerged victorious in 2009 Lok Sabha polls with Navin Chawla as CEC. “In 2005, Sonia Gandhi appointed Navin Chawla as an Election Commissioner. What authority did Sonia have?… The Congress party entrusted Navin Chawla with the responsibility of the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, and the party emerged victorious. Rahul Gandhi was in Parliament at that time as well. Back then, he didn’t hold press conferences wearing a T-shirt, yet today he has come forward to hold one,” Patra said.
“You have witnessed a significant change today: from India’s independence until 2023, the appointment of Election Commissioners was made directly by the Prime Minister based solely on his own whims and fancies. Now, a committee has been constituted, which includes the Leader of the Opposition (LOP), to ensure their views are also taken into account regarding the appointment of Election Commissioners,” he added.
Patra accused Rahul Gandhi, who is Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, of trying to defame India’s constitutional institutions during his visits abroad. “The entire country is watching to see who is actually committing treason. What constitutes treason? Treason is when you go to foreign soil and belittle your own country’s Supreme Court, Election Commission, Prime Minister, and all its institutions…Who is Rahul Gandhi to go to the West and ask the nations of America and Europe to interfere in our country’s democracy in order to restore it? What could be a greater act of treason than this? A traitor has no business calling anyone else a traitor. Ask him; he knows the defining traits of traitors better than anyone else,” the BJP MP said.
Opposition Alleges ‘Vote Chori’, Demands Resignation
Rahul Gandhi today attacked the government, renewing his “vote chori” allegations. “Vote chori is a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our constitution. The BJP, RSS and EC who organised it have committed an act of treason. Justice will be served,” he said in a post on X.
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who addressed a press conference, demanded immediate resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of “bulldozing and hijacking” the Election Commission “in a dictatorial and authoritarian manner”.
Patra launched a strong attack on Congress and other opposition parties over their criticism of the Modi government concerning SIR and functioning of the Election Commission and said no attempt is being made to “save any specific individual” but the ruling party at the Centre is “trying to save India’s democracy”.
Opposition parties have mounted an attack on the government following a report by the Indian Express that said that decisions taken on the Special Intensive Regulation (SIR) process were objected to by two of the three Election Commissioners. According to the report, “Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions taken and orders issued without their knowledge.” Opposition parties are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
BJP Defends EC’s Internal Debates as ‘Healthy Democracy’
Patra referred to the Election Commission’s response over the allegations, and said reports in the media indicate that official deliberations took place among the CEC and two Election Commissioners, which is a sign of a healthy democracy. “Look at the situation: if the three Election Commissioners do not communicate with each other, if there is no exchange of views or consultation, and they simply agree to everything, then the opposition parties claim it is a dictatorship. They say this government appointed these three commissioners; they just say yes. Now, there have been 14 instances of correspondence among the three of them, official deliberations, as far as we gather from the media. It is not as if the Bharatiya Janata Party goes and reads these letters; rather, reports in the media indicate that official deliberations took place among the three, which is a sign of a healthy democracy,” he said.
Patra claimed opposition parties have fallen into a trap and the internal discussions prove that EC is functioning democratically. “I would say that today, all the opposition parties have fallen into a trap, the trap of claiming that the Election Commission and the government were acting dictatorially. On the contrary, I would say this is pure democracy. Deliberations are taking place, and the Election Commission has stated very clearly in the very first paragraph of its document that, following all official democratic deliberations, the final outcome, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), was achieved with unanimity. In other words, all three Commissioners were unanimous; there was no difference of opinion or dissent among them,” he said.
“They were all on the same page. In short, the situation today is that neither the Election Commission of India nor any constitutional body in India is under dictatorial rule; they are functioning democratically and, indeed, upholding the country’s democracy. By operating democratically, these constitutional institutions are safeguarding democracy,” he added.
Election Commission Issues Clarification
The Election Commission on Wednesday responded to the report by the Indian Express that had said that decisions taken on the Special Intensive Regulation (SIR) process were objected to by two of the three Election Commissioners.
In a statement, the commission said that all orders by the body carry full legal sanction and any queries raised by members at the stage of drafting procedures were standard practice. “The ECI is a constitutional body that functions under the strict mandate of Article 324 of the Constitution, statutory rules and established institutional conventions. The Commission operates as a multi-member constitutional body. Written notes, observations, technical suggestions and internal checks-and-balances are standard, ongoing practices designed to ensure complete transparency, legal compliance and operational rigour. All actions of ECI have been in accordance of laws and instructions of the Commission,” the statement said.
“All official orders, decisions and administrative directions issued by the Commission carry full legal sanctions and follow established statutory procedures… Any operational queries or inputs raised by Commission members during draft stages are part of standard administrative practice aimed at safeguarding voter rights.The suggestions given by the Commissioners were for further improving the electoral processes.”
The Commission further said that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution. (ANI)
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