Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of capturing the Election Commission, alleging it colludes with the ruling party to win polls and commits “vote chori.” He criticized the government’s move to exclude the Chief Justice from the EC selection panel, giving the PM complete control.
NEW DELHI: Asking why the prime minister and home minister are so keen on deciding who becomes the election commissioner, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi Tuesday alleged that BJP has captured the Election Commission (EC) which is “colluding” with the governing party to help it win polls. He also accused the BJP of “vote chori” that, he said, is the worst possible unpatriotic act.Rahul said the Modi govt’s decision to remove the Chief Justice of India from the collegium that selects election commissioners has given BJP complete control over who becomes the poll watchdog – as the three members of the collegium are PM, HM and leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi. The govt had also changed the law to give “tremendous gift of immunity” to election commissioners for their actions, he alleged, while EC laid down that CCTV footage be destroyed after 45 days of polling. We will change law & we will find you, Rahul warns ECsWhile election commissioners got immunity, the poll commission changed the rule to lay down that CCTV footage be destroyed after 45 days of polling – decisions that, LoP Rahul Gandhi alleged, were at the root of “vote chori”.As he targeted RSS, Rahul said the complete capture of EC was the culmination of the “project” executed after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse, referring to the education sector, intelligence agencies and bureaucracy as some other institutions. Rahul said “our friends” don’t embrace Godse anymore because he is an “uncomfortable truth”, but Gandhi’s killing was “not where the project ended”.Rahul presented a four-point wish list to govt for reforming the poll process: provide machine-readable voter lists to parties a month before the election, withdraw the order to destroy CCTV footage after 45 days of polling, provide opposition access to “architecture of EVMs” and change the law that “allows EC to get away with what he wants to do”. In a warning that the law providing immunity to top poll officers would be no deterrent when the opposition comes to office, Rahul said election commissioners should remember “we” will change the law retrospectively and “we will find you”.
