‘Anti-national act’: Rahul Gandhi slams RSS, ECI over ‘vote chori’ in Lok Sabha; BJP accuses LoP of ‘lying in Parliament’

NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday reiterated his allegations of “vote chori”, accusing the Election Commission of colluding with the ruling BJP to “shape elections”. The Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, accused the Congress of subverting the country’s institutions through constitutional amendments during its regime.

Addressing the Lower House of Parliament during a discussion on electoral reforms, Rahul Gandhi questioned the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government about the rationale for removing the Chief Justice of India from the committee to select the Chief Election Commissioners and Election Commissioners.

He also slammed the Centre for providing immunity to the CEC.

Amid uproar by NDA MPs, Rahul Gandhi reiterated his claims of electoral fraud in the Haryana Assembly elections. He said, “The Election of Haryana was stolen. Theft ensured by the Election Commission… The biggest anti-national act you can do is vote-chori. There is no bigger anti-national act than vote-chori because when you destroy the vote, you destroy the fabric of this country. You destroy modern India; you destroy the idea of India. Vote-chori is an anti-national act, and those across the aisle are doing an anti-national act,” he said.

He further alleged that the ECI was “captured” by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as part of its project to take over the country’s institutions.

“The project of the RSS was to capture the institutional framework of the country… and the third capture is of the institution that controls the election system in the country, the Election Commission,” he said.

The Congress MP added, “I want to ask three questions which will make it very clear that the BJP is directing and using the Election Commission to damage India’s democracy. The first question is, why is it that the CJI removed from the selection panel of the Election Commissioner? Why is he not in that room? I sit in that room. It is so-called a democratic decision. On one side, PM Modi and HM Amit Shah. On the other side, the leader of the opposition. I have no voice in that room. What they decide is what happens. So the first question, why is the Prime Minister and Amit Shah so keen on choosing exactly who the election commissioner is going to be?”

“No Prime Minister has done this in the history of India. In December 2023, this government changed the law. They changed the law to make sure that no Election Commissioner could be punished for any action they take while they are an Election Commissioner. Why would the Prime Minister and Home Minister give this gift of immunity to the Election Commissioner?” he asked.

In 2023, the Supreme Court formed a selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha LoP, and the Chief Justice of India. This norm was to continue till a law was enacted by the Parliament. Later that year, the Centre brought in a law to include the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha LoP, and a Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the PM in the committee.

Meanwhile, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey hit back at Gandhi, alleging that the Congress party had subverted multiple institutions through constitutional amendments in the 1970s.

He rubbished Rahul Gandhi’s earlier accusation that the current institutions have been “captured by the RSS.” Dubey cited the 1976 Swaran Singh Committee, which led to the 42nd Amendment, saying it stripped the President of powers. He criticised Gandhi’s claims, pointing out Congress’s own history of influencing institutions and appointments.

“In 1976, the Swaran Singh Committee was made, and they finished all institutions, which they are trying to do today too. In the Constitution, the President is mentioned 121 times, and you will be surprised that with 1 amendment, Congress finished all the powers of the President. The president became a rubber stamp. Whatever the cabinet will say, the President will approve, the institution was finished,” the BJP MP said.

The BJP, in an X post, also responded to Rahul Gandhi, saying he does “drama” instead of assisting the selection committee.

The party claimed that former CECs Navin Chawla and VS Sampath were appointed directly by the Congress.

The BJP wrote, “Rahul Gandhi lies in Parliament. Rahul Gandhi says Election Commissioners used to be selected by a committee consisting of the CJI and LoP. Can Rahul name one election commissioner during the Congress government, chosen by the committee with either the CJI or the LoP? The committee was made temporarily till a new law was made. Congress PM till now appointed Election Commissioners directly.”

“Did Rahul Gandhi Forget his UPA Rule? In 2005, Sonia Gandhi appointed Navin Chawla as Election Commissioner. What authority did Sonia have? In 2012, a New Chief Election Commissioner was to be appointed to overlook the Lok Sabha 2014. LK Advani Ji suggested that Congress make a collegium to select the CEC. Congress ignored it and directly appointed VS Sampath as CEC, immediately got clearance from President Pratibha Patil,” the party added.

The party added that today, the LoP is taken into account when selecting the CEC, unlike in the UPA regime.

“Opposition wasn’t even taken into confidence on the appointment. Today, LoP is part of the committee to select CEC. Instead of constructively assist in the selection of a new CEC, all Rahul Gandhi does is Drama,” the X post read.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief and Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav raised concerns in Parliament over the deaths of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) engaged in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh, urging the Centre to extend financial and institutional support to their families.

He also reiterated his party’s long-standing demand for ballot papers in elections, arguing that multiple questions continue to be raised about electronic voting systems.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on electoral reforms, the SP Chief said, “Till now, 10 BLOs have lost their lives in the state during the ongoing SIR process. We demand that families of the deceased BLOs be given Rs 1 crore as ex-gratia amount and a government job be given to one member of the deceased’s family.”

“Elections should be conducted using ballot papers because many questions are being raised on the use of electronic devices,” the SP chief added.

The Upper House of the Parliament is also set to take up the discussion on the electoral reforms after further discussion on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram on Wednesday. (ANI)