New Delhi [India], October 12 (ANI): Asserting that the opposition’s agitation is centred on protecting democratic fundamentals, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday targeted the Centre over alleged voter disenfranchisement, stating that the INDIA bloc’s massive protest march in the national capital is a crucial fight to defend the "constitutional right of every Indian citizen to vote."
Speaking to ANI while participating in the march, the Thiruvananthapuram MP alleged that citizens have been "disgracefully deprived" of their democratic voice due to discrepancies in voter rolls over the past two years, emphasising that ensuring legitimate voters are on the electoral rolls is non-negotiable for India's democracy.
"We are here to protect democracy. This is about the constitutional right of every Indian citizen to vote, determine their own political future, and make their own political choices. For that, they must have their names on the voter rolls. Sadly, this is what the last two years have disgracefully deprived them of. To my mind, it is essential that those rights be restored. Today is a major step forward in restoring those rights," Shashi Tharoor told ANI.
Tharoor appreciated how it has been an "amazing day for defending democracy", while also decrying police action on protesters the previous days.
"It has been an amazing day for the defence of democracy. The number of people, the throngs, the people I've seen on both sides of the road everywhere we went, and the enthusiasm and commitment they have shown, despite the way the police behaved on Saturday and even Sunday—has been remarkable. People had the courage to come out, and today, thank God, the police behaved themselves, stood by as observers, and allowed the right to protest to manifest itself," Tharoor said.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP also highlighted key legal and procedural developments concerning the opposition's agitation over electoral transparency.
"Rahul Gandhi's petition was accepted on the ECI website. The CJI had already said that he would hear it at the earliest possible opportunity. The earliest possible opportunity is tomorrow, when the court is already hearing some cases related to the SIR. So, we are hoping that the process we are fighting for will move rapidly forward," he stated.
Emphasising that the protest is centred on protecting democratic participation, Tharoor alleged that citizens have been disenfranchised due to discrepancies in voter lists over recent years.
Demanding an immediate overhaul of electoral roll procedures to ensure free and fair elections, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor urged the restoration of deleted voters, an immediate halt to the SIR process under Supreme Court supervision, and a rollback of alleged "illegal changes" made to Forms 6 and 7.
Lashing out at the Election Commission's functioning, Tharoor asserted that the opposition is confident of defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if provided an "even playing field."
"The voter rolls must be restored, and the people who have been removed should be put back on the rolls. The illegal changes to Forms 6 and 7 should be rolled back. The court is hearing that case. The SIR process should be stopped and thoroughly reviewed by the Supreme Court under its supervision. After all that, we are confident that we will be able to defeat the BJP in the next election. But we want a fair and free electoral process. We want an even playing field. We want the entire country to see that India can once again be proud of being the world's largest democracy. Unfortunately, the behaviour of the Chief Election Commissioner over the last couple of years has made us an object of mockery rather than admiration. Let us go back to being what India has always been proud of being", he said.
Launching a blistering attack on the poll panel during the INDIA bloc's protest march in the national capital, Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary D. Raja demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the Election Commission has "lost its credibility" and failed to discharge its constitutional duties impartially.
Expressing deep concern over the reported mass deletion of voters from electoral rolls, the Left leader said that the issue has sparked nationwide alarm.
"The Election Commission is a constitutional body. It should function as an independent, neutral, impartial body. What we are seeing today, under Mr. Gyanesh Kumar, the Election Commission has failed to uphold the constitutional mandate. Election Commission has lost its credibility. Millions of people have been removed from electoral rolls. It has created tremendous concern across the country. In the India bloc, our party, the Communist Party of India, is demanding that the Chief Election Commissioner should resign. We have filed the petition. Let us see what the Supreme Court is going to do", he said. (ANI)
"People disgracefully deprived of right to vote": Congress MP Shashi Tharoor targets CEC over voter rolls
