NEW DELHI: Dr Nikhil Anand, senior BJP leader from Bihar and a functionary of the party’s OBC Morcha, on Wednesday hit back at the Opposition, saying it could take on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as fiercely as it wished.
"That is politics. But turning the Election Commission of India into a political punching bag is an entirely different matter. Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, Pappu Yadav, Sanjay Raut and others may question the ECI, but serious allegations against a constitutional institution must be backed by facts and evidence—not political rhetoric", he said, referring to reports on the Election Commission of India published by an English daily on Wednesday.
He said the Election Commission is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering India’s electoral process.
"And what exactly is so controversial about verifying electoral rolls? Correcting names and addresses, identifying shifted or deceased voters, checking duplicate entries and establishing eligibility are precisely the kinds of issues an electoral-roll revision is meant to address. The ECI itself states that the objective of SIR is clear: no eligible citizen should be left out and no ineligible person should be included",he said.
Anand also stressed that a notice for verification should not be interpreted as a declaration of guilt, but as part of a process that gives the concerned individual an opportunity to respond.
"The Supreme Court, while examining Bihar’s SIR, upheld the exercise and specifically recognised safeguards including notice, hearing and appellate remedies", he said.
Taking a swipe at the Opposition, he added, "So the Opposition should decide what it actually wants to defend: the right of every eligible Indian citizen to vote, or the automatic continuation of every existing electoral-roll entry without verification".
He further said electoral integrity could not be allowed to become hostage to the Opposition’s political convenience.
"Question the Election Commission where there is evidence, challenge its decisions where there is a legal basis—but do not confuse political disagreement with a licence to erode public confidence in a constitutional institution. In a democracy, parties and governments come and go; the credibility of the electoral process must endure", he asserted.
