Special revision of electoral rolls 'greatest threat'€™ to our democracy, claims Congress

Patna, Sep 24 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday said the "conspiracy" of the special intensive revision is the "greatest threat" to our democracy and is yet another "dirty trick" from the BJP's toolkit to manipulate electoral rolls and cling on to power.

The assertions were made in two resolutions -“ one political and the other an appeal to voters of Bihar -“ that were passed by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here that was chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by former party chief Rahul Gandhi, treasurer Ajay Maken, general secretaries KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and Sachin Pilot, and Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar, among others.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting at Sadaqat Ashram, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in the next one month, Gandhi will come out with more revelations on "vote chori" which would be akin to "hydrogen bomb", "mini hydrogen bomb" and "plutonium bomb".

Ramesh also asserted that countdown for the NDA government has begun and a Mahagathbandhan government will come to power in Bihar in two months' time.

"'Vote chori' and irregularities in our electoral rolls have shaken public belief in the very foundations of our democracy. The CWC resolved to salute Rahul Gandhi for boldly exposing the shameless 'vote chori' and bravely fighting these brazen attempts to subvert democracy," the political resolution passed by the CWC read.

"This exposes the systematic and deliberate conspiracy used to manufacture an elected majority for the BJP. A government built on stolen mandates and rigged voter lists has no moral or political legitimacy," it said.

"It is not based on public trust but on deceit. In the absence of democratic accountability, the government is freed of any obligation to care about unemployment, farmer suicides, inflation, crumbling healthcare, ruined education and crumbling infrastructure. The government is apathetic because it knows that it can remain in power not through service but through deceit and fear," the resolution said.

'Vote chor' is inseparable from attacks on the Constitution, the economy, social justice, and national security, it said.

It is the single thread that exposes the regime's illegitimacy and its actions, the resolution said.

The CWC reiterated that its dire apprehension regarding the "Special Intensive Revision" in Bihar as "yet another dirty trick from the BJP's toolkit to manipulate electoral rolls and cling to power".

"Their aim is clear: to disenfranchise the poor, workers, backward classes and minorities - the very people who are determined to oust the NDA from Bihar," the CWC said.

In its appeal to Bihar voters, the CWC urged the people to recognize the power of their vote.

"The Indian National Congress promises to continue the struggle, both inside Parliament and on the streets. This fight is for the protection of our fundamental constitutional rights, for reservations and social justice, and for ensuring fair delivery of welfare benefits to every citizen of Bihar as well as India," he said.

"Since Mahatma Gandhi's first Satyagraha in India, against indigo planters in Champaran, Bihar has always guided the direction of the nation. It once again stands at a decisive juncture today," the appeal said.

"The Congress Working Committee calls upon all voters of Bihar to strengthen this democratic fight. What has already become a household slogan in Bihar is poised to echo across the nation tomorrow - "Vote Chor, Ghaddi Chorh," it said.

In the appeal, the Congress Working Committee declared that the conspiracy of the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls is the "greatest threat to our democracy today".

"As evident in Bihar, this process has been designed to systematically rob citizens from marginalized communities like Dalits, OBCs, Adivasis, and Minorities of their Right to Vote," the CWC said.

"This disenfranchisement through the attack on the Right to Vote will culminate in snatching away their rights in government welfare schemes as well as their constitutionally guaranteed reservations. When the vote of the people is stolen, their future, their dignity, and their constitutional entitlements are stolen along with it," it said. PTI ASK ZMN