Vote theft anti-national act, says Rahul
NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a sharp attack against the ruling party accusing it of committing the biggest anti-national act by orchestrating vote theft in collusion with the Election Commission and undermining the idea of India. Participating in a discussion on election reforms, Gandhi also outlined a slew of electoral reforms to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. Making suggestions, he called for providing machine-readable voter lists 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. In his 30-minute speech, he posed three questions which he claimed show the BJP is directing and using EC to damage Indias democracy. The biggest anti-national act you can do is vote chori (theft). 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. He cautioned the election commissioners that law can be changed retroactively to hold them accountable. Let me remind them: dont worry, we are going to change the law, and that too retroactively. And we are going to come and find you, he said. Demanding an answer from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Congress leader asked why the Chief Justice of India was removed from the selection panel for appointing the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. Why are the prime minister and home minister so keen on choosing who the election commissioner is going to be, he asked. Lashing out at the government for altering the law with regard to CCTV footage to enable vote theft, the former Congress chief said, Why was a law put in place that allows the EC to destroy CCTV footage 45 days after the election? It is not a question of data. It is a question of stealing the election.
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