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Senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari directed sharp criticism at recent decisions by the election body, saying that the nation is witnessing a serious blow to its democratic foundation.
Speaking to ANI, Tiwari questioned why the BJP was responding to accusations meant for the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. "It reminds me of an old proverb, 'Begani Shaadi Mein Abdulla Diwana' (an unnecessary intermeddler). The reply should have been given by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) or the Election Commission regarding the allegations, but Sambit Patra of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is giving the response. This clearly shows that there is guilt on their part," he said. He further demanded that the Supreme Court get a case registered and conduct an investigation under its direct supervision. "I want to say that democracy has been murdered in Haryana, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Bengal, which is why an FIR should be lodged and a Supreme Court-monitored investigation must be conducted," he said. Her remarks came after a media report by The Indian Express stated that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the SIR process. These remarks were followed by a second media report stating that the Goa Chief Electoral Officer wrote to Delhi eight times in seven days, asking for that access to be enabled, but all in vain. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha also slammed the ECI, saying that the entire system has been rigged. Citing the second media report published by The Indian Express, he said, "Eight emails were written, but no result came out because behind closed doors, their own people were getting deletions done centrally and additions done centrally. I believe that in their presence, no investigation can even take place. I had said yesterday as well that they have rigged the entire system through their conduct, their working style, and their policies." Supporting Tiwaris demands, he also urged the apex court ot take suo moto cognisance of the matter in order to "save the democracy." "Petitions are before the Supreme Court regarding SIR. They should take suo motu cognisance in order to save democracy, because this has been our greatest legacy. They have destroyed that legacy," he added. (ANI)
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