NEW DELHI: Amid a growing political confrontation over the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday shared a cryptic message on social media, saying turbulent conditions can also bring a sense of calm.
“I love swimming in the sea when it’s rough. It teaches you that rough is just another kind of calm,” Gandhi wrote in one of his ‘X’ posts.
His post came amid Opposition criticism of the poll panel following a media report, which said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period to decisions and procedures concerning the SIR exercise.
According to the report, the two commissioners had questioned certain decisions and orders that were issued without their knowledge, adding to the political debate over the ECI’s functioning and decision-making process.
Gandhi’s remarks also came a day after he launched a sharp attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of “match-fixing” elections. The Congress leader also cited a media report concerning former Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson’s claim that Kumar had approached him in 2016 and suggested that he contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket.
“First, Gyanesh Kumar - then a serving IAS officer - was used to recruit for the BJP. Then Modi and Shah made him the umpire and put him in charge of match-fixing India’s elections,” Gandhi said in his post.
According to the report cited by Gandhi, Thomson claimed the conversation took place on a flight to Delhi around the time of his retirement. He said Kumar had suggested that he contest the election as a BJP candidate, become an MP and later a minister. Thomson said he declined the purported offer.
