Govt, BJP hit back at Rahul over 'vote chori biggest anti-national act' remark

New Delhi: Mounting a fierce offensive against the BJP and the RSS, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Tuesday accused the ruling party of indulging in the "biggest anti-national act" by committing 'vote chori' in collusion with the Election Commission to destroy the idea of India.

As a special discussion on election reforms in the Lower House witnessed angry exchanges between the ruling and opposition benches, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey strongly countered Gandhi’s allegations. The Congress leader, who had raised three questions and made a few demands, also alleged “wholesale capture" of India's institutional framework by the RSS.

After opposition members questioned the neutrality of the Election Commission (EC), slammed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list and demanded a return to paper ballot, the members of the BJP and its key allies--TDP and the JD(U)--said the opposition should propose constructive reforms instead of trying to delegitimise the electoral system by attacking the poll body.

Intervening in the debate, Meghwal accused the Congress of engaging in 'vote chori' (vote theft) since the first Lok Sabha elections, including rigging elections to ensure the defeat of B R Ambedkar. He also noted that during the Raebareli elections, former prime minister Indira Gandhi faced charges of electoral malpractice, which he called 'vote chori'.

Meghwal also countered the charge of the opposition on the issue of SIR and said the exercise has been held multiple times since 1952 and it is required to clean up electoral rolls, which change due to migration and rapid urbanisation.

Dubey cited instances where former Election Commissioners during the Congress rule were given government positions post-retirement and pooh-poohed the opposition party’s talk of “honesty and transparency”.

In his speech, Gandhi said he wants to remind the election commissioners that they might be under the impression that an existing law lets them get away with any wrongdoing but it is not so.

"Change the law that allows the election commissioner to get away with whatever he wants to do. That's all the electoral reforms you need," he said.

"Let me remind them: don't worry, we are going to change the law, and that too retroactively. And we are going to come and find you.” Gandhi posed three questions which he claimed make it clear that the BJP is "directing and using" the EC to damage India's democracy.

Making suggestions, Gandhi called for providing machine readable voter list to all parties one month before elections, taking back the law that allows destruction of CCTV footage after 45 days, giving access to EVMs, and changing the law that allows the election commissioners "to get away with whatever they want to do".

"The biggest anti-national act you can do is 'vote chori'. Because when you destroy the vote, you destroy the fabric of this country, you destroy modern India, you destroy the idea of India. Those across the aisle are doing an anti-national act," Gandhi said, gesturing towards the treasury benches.

The former Congress chief also asked why the Chief Justice of India was removed from the selection panel for the appointment of the chief election commissioner and the election commissioners.

"Why is it that the CJI was removed from the selection panel for (appointing) the election commissioners? What motivation could there be to remove the CJI? Do we not believe in the CJI? Of course, we believe in the CJI. Why is he not in that room?" he said.

"I sit in that room. It is a so-called democratic decision. On one side, there is Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. On the other side, the leader of the opposition. I have no voice in that room. What they decide is what happens," he said.

So, why are the prime minister and home minister so keen on choosing exactly who the election commissioner is going to be?, Gandhi asked.

"No prime minister has done this in the history of India. In December 2023, this government changed the law to make sure that no election commissioner could be punished for any action they take," the Congress leader said.

"Why would the prime minister and home minister give this gift of immunity to the election commissioner?" He further questioned why the law with regard to CCTV footage was changed.

"Why was a law put in place that allows the Election Commission to destroy CCTV footage 45 days after the election? What is the need? The answer given is that it is a question of data. But it is not a question of data. It is a question of stealing the election," he said.

Gandhi further said electoral reform is very simple, but the government doesn't want to do it.

"What does electoral reform require? Nothing more than what we've been saying. Give machine-readable voter lists to all political parties one month before the election. Take back the law that allows the destruction of CCTV footage.

"While you're doing that, also tell us what the architecture of the EVM is. Give us access to the EVM. Let our experts go and see what is inside the EVM. Till today, we have not had access to the EVM," he said.

"Secondly, we have a Brazilian woman who appears 22 times on the voter list of Haryana. And not only that, there is one woman whose name has appeared over 200 times in one constituency in Haryana. And it is very clear, and I have proven without doubt that the election in Haryana was stolen, and the 'vote chori' was ensured by the Election Commission of India." America calls itself the oldest democracy. But the democracy that weaves together the largest number of people, the largest diversity of people, the largest number of languages, and the largest number of states is India, Gandhi said.

"So our most powerful asset, the thing that stitches together the entire concept of modern India, brings people together, and allows them to build this great nation, is being attacked by these people," he said in an apparent attack at the BJP.

"They're destroying it. You know they're destroying it. I know they're destroying it. And they themselves know they're destroying it." Gandhi also recalled that on January 30, 1948, three bullets pierced the chest of Mahatma Gandhi and Nathuram Godse assassinated the "father of our nation".

"Today, our friends (in the BJP) don't embrace him and push him away, as he is an uncomfortable truth. But that's not where the project ended.

"Everything, all the institutions, have emerged from the vote, so it's obvious that the RSS has to capture all the institutions that have emerged from the vote," he said.

After Gandhiji's assassination, the next step of the project was the "wholesale capture" of India's institutional framework, Gandhi alleged.