Cong likens CEC to ‘BJP spokesman’ as ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ reaches Gaya
The Congress on Monday stepped up its criticism of the Election Commission (EC), alleging that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar was acting more like a spokesperson for the ruling party than the head of an independent institution.
The party demanded that before seeking affidavits from opposition leaders, the poll body should first submit one in the Supreme Court affirming that its electoral rolls were free of irregularities. The attack came after the CEC issued Rahul Gandhi a seven-day ultimatum to provide a sworn affidavit substantiating his allegations of manipulation in Bihar’s voter lists, warning that otherwise his charges would be treated as baseless.
Addressing reporters in Daboor during a lunch halt of the Voter Adhikar Yatra, Congress media head Pawan Khera said the CEC’s press conference was nothing short of a political statement. “We used to hear such threats from BJP leaders and their spokespersons. This time it came from the Chief Election Commissioner. If they trust their own data, let them file an affidavit in the Supreme Court. We are ready to respond with ours,” he said.
Khera alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls had become a tool for fraud. “Dead people remain on the list, living voters are being deleted and booth-level officers are not doing door-to-door verification. This is not democracy, it is theft,” he charged.
Party leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who is marching alongside Gandhi, said the BJP’s objective was not only to “steal votes but to tamper with the Constitution.” He recalled that after the BJP’s ‘400 paar’ slogan during the Lok Sabha elections, some of its leaders had openly spoken of altering the Constitution. “This conspiracy is aimed at erasing the poor, Dalits, backward classes and minorities from democracy itself,” he said. Kumar added that when Gandhi provided proof of irregularities, the EC responded with threats instead of corrective action. “Listening to the CEC was like listening to a BJP spokesperson. They admitted the SIR was being carried out to fix the voter list. That itself means the lists were flawed from the beginning,” he said.
The Congress leader also highlighted the difficulties faced by ordinary voters. “My father’s name is spelt differently across documents. Does that mean I lose my vote? This is the type of harassment people face. They removed 65 lakh names but have not told us how many have been added. What are they hiding?” he asked.
Rahul Gandhi, in a post on his WhatsApp channel, described the SIR as a “new weapon of vote theft.” He shared the stories of several voters he met in Sasaram at the launch of the yatra on Sunday, all of whom had cast their votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but later found their names deleted from the rolls. “Farmers, Dalits, labourers, even a retired soldier, all were wiped out from democracy. This is punishment for being Bahujan and poor,” he wrote, vowing to defend the principle of ‘one person, one vote’.
On Monday, Gandhi, along with RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and Vikassheel Insan Party’s Mukesh Sahni, prayed at the Devkund Surya Mandir before resuming the march. The yatra moved from Kutumba and reached Gaya.
The 1,300-km Voter Adhikar Yatra, undertaken in hybrid mode on foot and by vehicle, will pass through Nawada, Nalanda, Sheikhpura, Lakhisarai, Munger, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Purnea, Araria, Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, East Champaran, West Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan, Chhapra and Ara. It will culminate in Patna on September 1 with a rally.
Nation