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Bihar Minister Ramkripal Yadav on Friday defended the Election Commission of India (ECI) amid the ongoing political controversy over the poll panel and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying that allegations against a constitutional institution were not good for democracy and urging political parties to respect the Election Commission.
Speaking to ANI, Yadav said, Controversies surrounding the Election Commission are not a good omen for democracy. The opposition parties, including the Congress, have themselves been in power for long periods. Should we assume that all the elections won by the Congress party, at both the central and state levels, were a result of weaponising the Election Commission and had no public support? He said the ECI was a constitutional institution with an important role in the democratic system and should be respected. Without a doubt, the Election Commission is a constitutional and sacred body, and one must continue to respect it. It holds its own significance in democracy. Thus, I believe it is inappropriate to make such remarks. It is neither justified nor good for democracy, Yadav said. Responding to Opposition allegations of vote chori, the Bihar minister said political parties should accept electoral verdicts rather than attribute defeats to the poll panel. As for their defeat, whose head will they pin the blame on? The people have defeated them through their votes. Then they talk about vote theft, theft of this and that; these are all baseless matters, he said. Yadav also rejected the possibility of an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar succeeding. If an impeachment motion is brought, it will fall. The opposition has tried to bring impeachment motions in many other matters too; the outcomes were visible, and more will be seen, he said. His remarks came a day after Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi intensified his criticism of the ECI, alleging that elections in the country had been rigged and demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Gandhi's remarks followed a report by The Indian Express concerning objections reportedly raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over electoral roll procedures, database changes and the SIR exercise. The ECI has maintained that internal observations and queries are part of the functioning of a multi-member constitutional body and that final decisions relating to SIR were taken unanimously. (ANI)
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