NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday accused the Congress of undermining the country’s electoral system by attacking the Election Commission after failing to secure public support through the existing democratic process.
Addressing media at the BJP headquarters here, BJP’s national general secretary Smriti Irani questioned the Congress’s objections to the electoral-roll verification exercise, particularly over duplicate entries and the names of deceased voters. She asked why the Opposition party wanted such names retained or restored when the Election Commission had already outlined a process for verifying them.
Her remarks came hours after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and restoration of more than 13 crore names. The Congress has also demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation, alleging that elections were being “match-fixed”.
Irani said the Election Commission had clarified that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would personally visit the homes of individuals who had received notices under the SIR process, collect the required documents and verify their eligibility.
“If there are duplicate entries or the names of deceased individuals in the electoral rolls, why does the Congress party want the names of the deceased to be restored? Why does the party want duplicate names to remain in the electoral rolls?” she asked.
Irani accused the Congress of selectively questioning the Election Commission and asked whether the party had similar concerns about the poll panel’s functioning in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, Jharkhand and Karnataka, where the BJP is not in government.
She also cited remarks attributed to a former Congress president in 2019, alleging that he had vowed to make efforts to tarnish Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image. Irani said Modi had repeatedly maintained that political opponents were free to criticise him but should not extend such attacks to constitutional institutions or the democratic system.
“Yet, the Congress leadership is leaving no stone unturned in its attempt to undermine India’s constitutional systems,” she alleged.
Irani further accused the Congress of responding to its electoral setbacks by targeting the Election Commission rather than introspection and review its own performance. According to her, the party was “aggrieved” by its lack of public support within the existing democratic framework.
The BJP leader also took aim at the Congress’s reference to the Lahore Congress Session and its invocation of the party’s history. She cited historical references concerning AO Hume, a British civil servant associated with the formation of the Congress and alleged that the organisation was established in the context of protecting British rule.
Irani said the Congress was now targeting an institution that, she argued, represents the functioning of Indian democracy. She described the Election Commission as an important constitutional institution whose electoral processes have received international recognition.
The Congress and BJP remain sharply divided over the SIR exercise, the electoral rolls and the role of the Election Commission, with the opposition party demanding changes to the process and the ruling party defending the poll panel’s verification measures.
