Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday had a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that the draft voters list released during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Bihar voters list was a very deliberate attempt at disenfranchising the poor, marginalized communities, and minorities. Kharge noted that out of a total population of 70 million in Bihar, 6.5 to 10 million voters were excluded, and this cannot be considered as any clerical error but a deliberate act to undermine democracy.
Kharge warned that accountability will one day apply to those who are involved in such things, saying, ECI officials, be it serving or retired ones, will not be spared when they break the rules. “They lie on behalf of the BJP, and this kind of act should not be allowed.”
He accused the Commission of not following the order of the Supreme Court, which made it possible to use Aadhaar, voter identification, or the ration card as an alternative to verify voters during the SIR process. Kharge said this was by design to ensure that large-scale enrolment does not take place, as it is said to favour Congress and other opposition parties.
Kharge stridently highlighted what he has termed the burgeoning clamping down of the opposition voices, claiming that microphones are switched off when he or senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raises near-government essays on points of certain interest.
Kharge also spoke on the resignation of former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, whom he accused of being coerced by the BJP after attempting to demonstrate independence in accepting the motion to impeach Justice Yashwant Varma.
The controversy arose when the new revision exercise was launched on June 28, after the recently released 2003 Bihar survey data began a debate on the aspect of voter verification and exclusion.
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