Kozhikode, Sep 26 (IANS) Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday called reports of differences within the Election Commission of India (ECI) a “catastrophic assault” on democracy, urging all citizens, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to fight it.
Speaking to reporters in Kerala’s Kozhikode, Tharoor said: “This is an incredibly grave assault on the functioning of Indian democracy.”
Meanwhile, the ECI issued a press release after its meeting on Saturday afternoon to quell reports of internal differences and clarify the context in which ECI functionaries wrote a letter to the Cabinet Secretary.
The Congress MP claimed that a large number of Indian citizens have been deprived of their democratic right to vote, “apparently based on many irregularities, including an illegal modification of Form 6 requiring data that has not been required in the past”.
“They (ECI) have actually gone ahead and made some changes without the consent of two of the three Election Commissioners, which itself is a violation of the procedures of the Election Commission.
Days earlier, a report by a leading newspaper claimed differences within the poll panel, with decisions being taken allegedly without the knowledge of the two Election Commissioners.
Tharoor further said: “On top of that, we have a situation where, shockingly, we are seeing software that has been imposed over the heads of the electoral officers. And as a result, for example, one instance that has been found is that in Goa, 97 people have not only been deprived of the right to vote, but because of that they’ve also been deprived of the right to have dialysis treatment and other medical assistance and so on.”
The Congress leader was referring to the ECINet software, which the media reported had blocked access to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) on the ground.
“This is not anything minor or routine; it’s not political, it’s not administrative. It is a fundamentally untenable, catastrophic assault on our democracy,” he said while urging parties to unite in the fight against the “challenge”.
“There is no question anymore that our country is facing a very severe challenge. If the integrity of our elections is in doubt, then how will our democracy stand? If people in this country feel that even their identity is subject to the whims of some low-level officers and a software that has not been verified, tested or based on anything logical, then how on earth can our country proudly stand itself in front of the world and call itself the world’s largest democracy?” Tharoor questioned.
Mentioning that the Congress has called a party Working Committee meeting on September 29, he said, “I’ll be going there to Delhi for that.”
Moreover, Shashi Tharoor urged BJP leaders to unite with the Opposition to “defend” democracy.
“I feel that on this matter every citizen of India, even members of the BJP, should be united with us. Our democracy is larger than any individual, any party. It’s for everyone to defend,” he stated.
–IANS
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