Special revision of electoral rolls: Cong asks EC not to act at behest of BJP

New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday launched a fresh attack on the Election Commission over Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, accusing the poll body of conspiring to deprive 20 per cent people of their voting rights, and asked it not to act at the behest of ruling party.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said the EC should act within its limits set by the Constitution and be a "slave" to democracy and voters, and not the BJP.

Khera said every Indian has the right to vote which should not be "deliberately undermined", as he urged the Commission to stop the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar.

"We feel danger to the democratic process in the country and this danger is not just for the Opposition but for every single voter," he alleged.

"After meeting the Election Commission, we felt that we had gone to the wrong address. The Election Commission does not need to sit in its own building. The BJP has a large headquarters; they should take a floor there and sit.

"The Election Commission should not act as a middleman for any party. Everyone must work within their limits; this is the definition of democracy. And the Constitution has fixed everyone's role," Khera said.

On Wednesday, leaders of several INDIA bloc parties met the EC over the SIR issue and raised concerns over its timing, alleging that over two crore voters of the state may be disenfranchised by this mammoth exercise being done just ahead of assembly elections.

"With all humility at my command, I warn the Election Commission that power is a transient thing. Why are you acting as a slave to the BJP? You should be a slave to the Constitution, of democracy and every voter in the country, and not the BJP. You will go down in history if you indulge in such acts. People will remember you for wrong reasons," the Congress leader said.

Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar alleged that "it seems as if they (EC) have resolved to strip away the rights of 20 per cent of Bihar's voters".

"The question is who were the people that decided to conduct a Special Intensive Revision on such a large scale for the first time in just one month?" he asked.

Asking how this mammoth task will be completed in just 19 days after the Election Commission's notification, he said, "It is clearly evident to us that this step is an injustice to Bihar's voters." Kumar said that just four months before the elections in Bihar, such a large-scale decision has been taken for the first time in 20 years.

"This process is neither transparent nor practical...Is this actually a well-planned conspiracy to exclude voters?" he asked, alleging that in Bihar, the NDA government lacks competent officers who can accomplish this work.

He alleged that the process will affect nearly 8 crore people in Bihar.

"The Election Commission is purely under suspicion, trying to eliminate 20 per cent of Bihar's votes," he said.

Congress in-charge for Bihar Krishna Allavaru said they had some hopes from the Election Commission, but after the Wednesday's meeting those hopes have been dashed.

"I challenge the prime minister to show me a single instance in history where 80 million people had to prove their credentials within a month. These are the same 80 million people who cast their votes in the Lok Sabha elections about a year ago," he said, asking what happened in these 12 months that every voter in Bihar now has to prove their voter status in a fresh manner.

"It is clear that the Election Commission is showing interest in removing people from the voter list. This is a conspiracy in which people’s right to vote will be snatched away.

"Depriving 20 per cent people of their voting rights is a serious matter. Today, the Constitution and democracy are in danger... But we will not let any person be deprived of their rights," Allavaru said, claiming that the people of Bihar will not forgive the EC. PTI SKC SKC KVK KVK