Rahul steps up offensive, says Congress will fight SIR politically and legally

NEW DELHI: Stepping up his attack on Election Commission of India (ECI) and vote theft allegations, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday cast doubts over the SIR process at a meeting with key AICC office-bearers of 12 states and Union Territories where the revision of electoral rolls is underway, and said the party must challenge the exercise politically, organisationally and legally, according to sources. During the meeting, Gandhi also said it is the Election Commissions duty to provide clean electoral rolls but instead, it was trying to put the onus on political parties. The Leader of Opposition charged that the procedure is being adopted hurriedly and claimed that it is intended to delete genuine voters, said sources. The party also decided to hold a massive rally in Delhis Ramlila Maidan against the SIR. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Gandhi and AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal participated in the review meeting with state unit chiefs, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders and secretaries of 12 states and UTs. Kharge, who chaired the meeting with key office-bearers of the 12 states and UTs where the SIR is underway, alleged that the BJP is attempting to weaponise the process for vote chori. At a time when public confidence in democratic institutions is already strained, the Election Commissions conduct during the SIR process has been deeply disappointing, said Kharge. It must immediately demonstrate that it is not operating under the BJPs shadow and it remembers its Constitutional oath and allegiance to the people of India, not to any ruling party, he added. We firmly believe that the BJP is attempting to weaponise the SIR process for vote chori. And if the ECI chooses to look the other way, that failure is not just administrative it becomes a complicity of silence, the Congress chief said. Our workers, BLOs, and District/City/Block Presidents will therefore remain relentlessly vigilant. We will expose every attempt, however subtle, to delete genuine voters or insert bogus ones, Kharge said. The Congress will not allow democratic safeguards to be eroded by partisan misuse of institutions, he asserted. Subsequent to facing a severe drubbing in Bihar, where the NDA cruised to victory, the Congress has questioned the role of the commission in the poll process. Party to hold mega rally against rolls revision The party also decided to hold a rally in Delhis Ramlila Maidan against the SIR. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Gandhi and AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal participated in the review meeting with state unit chiefs, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders and secretaries of the states.