'EC is a puppet of Modi ji': Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge slams poll body; alleges systematic removal of minorities from voters list
NEW DELHI: Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
Mallikarjun Kharge
on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the
Election Commission of India
(ECI), accusing it of acting as a 'puppet' of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
and systematically working to disenfranchise poor and marginalised communities.
Kharge alleged that the ECI, in collaboration with the BJP-led Central government, is deliberately deleting names of voters particularly Dalits, backward communities, minorities, and the poor from the electoral rolls.
'Denying voting rights to 65 lakh or 1 crore voters in Bihar is a deliberate conspiracy to exclude Dalits and backward communities from participation. The Election Commission is a puppet of Modi ji,' Kharge said while addressing at the Legal Conclave organized by the AICC's Law, Human Rights and RTI Department.
He pointed to official figures to back his claim, stating that if out of 70 crore voters, one crore names are removed without valid reason and it reflects a clear attempt to strip vulnerable sections of their constitutional rights.
"When lakhs of voters are removed from the electoral list, and this trend spreads nationwide, it must be called out. Today, they themselves have published such a list. If out of 70 crore voters, one crore is removed without reason, it's clearly an attempt to disenfranchise the poor and minorities,' Kharge added.
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The Congress leader held both the Centre and the ECI accountable for what he called the erosion of constitutional safeguards. 'The government and the Election Commission are responsible for eroding constitutional rights. The Supreme Court has acknowledged the seriousness of this matter, but despite several hearings, the Election Commission has not changed its behaviour,' he said.
Kharge also linked the alleged voter deletions to a broader pattern of communal polarisation in BJP-ruled states. 'In BJP-ruled states, atrocities against minorities have increased. They talk about Mughals, about chicken, about Mangalsutra — only to divide society,' he said.
He concluded by warning that the Prime Minister's role is to uphold the Constitution, not undermine it. 'The people of this country elected the Prime Minister to protect the Constitution, not to crush it,' Kharge said.
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