The speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Birla, on Monday admonished Opposition MPs with a stern warning amid unruly scenes in parliament with a view to protesting against the Election Commission of India (ECI). The demonstrations focused on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar being undertaken by the ECI (since 29 April), which the leaders of the Opposition parties have accused of being manipulated to alter voting lists.
Opposition members started slogans as soon as the House reassembled, and they raised the pitch of their protests. In spite of the furor, Birla continued Question Hour but stopped to deliver a stinging word. It would be of service to the people of this land to apply that same energy to asking questions rather than sloganeering. “You are not sent here by citizens to wreck public property,” he claimed. When MPs threatened to burn government property, Birla warned that should they do so, “firm action” would be taken and the people would take them to task.
The Speaker emphasized that it was not the first thing to happen, and expressed examples in many of the assemblies in the various states. It is a repeat warning. Tempt not to say to the citizens, he exclaimed, break the property of the people.
The demonstrations will be accompanied by a growing view on the credibility of the ECI. The Commission has been accused by the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of facilitating vote theft in the previous elections, such as the next general election of 2024. Both the BJP and the ECI were highly opposed to such allegations, and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar termed the Mahatma Gandhi statement as being baseless and an insult to the Constitution. This forced the ECI to demand either a filed criminal case or an apology.
Opposition cadres, however, have given Gandhi support. The Pawan Khera from the Congress called the ECI a right-wing echo of the BJP, and Dimple Yadav of the Samajwadi Party refused to think of the Commission apologizing and demanded that automatic voter list anomalies be factored in.
As the tension goes high, the INDIA block now accepts an impeachment motion against the CEC.
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