Submit affidavit or apologise to the nation: CEC Gyanesh Kumar to Rahul Gandhi over his 'voter theft' allegations

Economic Times

2 days ago

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Rahul Gandhi launches 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar
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In a sharp rebuke to Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said he must either file an affidavit substantiating his allegations against the Election Commission or apologise before the country, warning that failure to provide a declaration under oath within seven days would render his claims 'baseless and invalid.'The CEC questioned whether the Commission could act on the basis of complaints without proper legal backing.'Should EC issue notice to 1.5 lakh voters without declaration under oath by the complainant?' he asked.Responding to allegations that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar was being carried out in undue haste, Kumar pointed to the statutory mandate of the Election Commission under the Representation of the People Act 'Some people are misleading that why the SIR exercise is being carried out in such a hurry? Should the voter list be rectified before or after the elections? The Election Commission is not saying this; the Representation of the People Act says that you have to rectify the voter list before every election. This is the legal responsibility of the Election Commission,' he said.Kumar further defended the Commission's timeline, stating that the work had begun well in advance.'Then the question arose whether the Election Committee would be able to reach more than seven crore voters of Bihar? The truth is that the work started on 24th June. The entire process was completed by about the 20th of July...'In response, the Congress came out strongly in defence of its leader. 'Rahul Gandhi only stated facts revealed by EC's own data,' the party said, dismissing the Commission's warning.Senior party leader Jairam Ramesh asked, 'Will EC implement, in letter and spirit, Supreme Court's August 14 orders on Bihar SIR process?'Rahul Gandhi on Sunday morning began his 16-day-long 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' from Sasaram in poll-bound Bihar. The yatra, which started around three hours ago, will cover over 1,300 kilometres across more than 20 districts before culminating with a mega rally in Patna on September 1, where leaders of various INDIA bloc parties are expected to join him.Sharing details on X before setting out, Gandhi wrote: '16 days. 20+ districts. 1,300+ kms. We are coming among the people with the Voter Rights Yatra. This is the fight to protect the most fundamental democratic right — 'one person, one vote.' Join us in Bihar to save the Constitution.'Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera hailed the march as another milestone in India's democratic journey. 'Whenever Rahul Gandhi has embarked upon such a march, democracy has turned a new page,' he told reporters, describing the yatra as 'a historic journey, which will prove to be a milestone in the fight for the existence of all of us.'Khera also said leaders from across the INDIA bloc, including Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, would join the march at different points. He alleged that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had 'exposed the BJP's designs to disenfranchise lakhs of voters belonging to the Dalit, Adivasi and minority communities, the poor and daily wagers.'He went on to call it 'a conspiracy to not only steal the votes, but also steal the identity,' warning that 'today they will snatch the underprivileged people's right to vote, tomorrow they will refuse them the share in government schemes like free food and housing.'Training his guns on the Election Commission, Khera said the body was becoming 'like one of the train bogeys of the so-called double engine,' a reference to the BJP governments at the Centre and in the states. 'The Election Commission becoming just a compartment of this 'double engine' — this is something we will not accept. We are fighting against this and will continue to do so in the future,' he asserted.Khera further claimed that the yatra was born out of popular anger against the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. 'After the people of Bihar, activists, and the Congress and INDIA bloc workers raised their voice against the SIR, the EC was forced to do a course correction. It was only after the intervention by the Supreme Court that the national poll body was compelled to address the concerns of common people and voters,' he said.According to him, the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' is intended to spread awareness among the masses 'so that the Modi government's conspiracy to deny voting rights to the people of Bihar does not fructify.'