New Delhi, Dec 10(KNS): The Lok Sabha witnessed heated exchanges as Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of attempting to “dominate India’s institutions” and questioned the government’s approach to electoral reforms, prompting strong rebuttals from BJP leaders.
Participating in a discussion on electoral reforms, Gandhi said there was “no bigger anti-national act than vote chori” and alleged that the RSS, with the support of the BJP, had weakened key democratic institutions, beginning with the Election Commission. He said “everything that exists in India today has emerged from the vote” and accused the government of trying to capture that process.
His remarks drew loud protests from treasury benches, leading Speaker Om Birla to intervene several times to restore order. Gandhi highlighted what he termed “institutional capture” in three areas—education, investigative agencies and the Election Commission.
Raising a set of questions, Gandhi asked why the Chief Justice of India had been removed from the selection panel for Election Commissioners, why the government in December 2023 granted what he termed unprecedented immunity to Election Commissioners and why CCTV footage of polling stations is destroyed after 45 days.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
The BJP countered the allegations, with several members challenging Gandhi to name any Election Commissioner appointed during a Congress government by a panel that included the CJI. BJP MP Anurag Thakur said the Narendra Modi government had enacted several reforms to strengthen voting rights and removed outdated laws that hindered governance.
He added that the Election Commission’s recent reforms were aimed at empowering voters and should not face resistance.
Congress MP Manish Tewari also voiced concerns, questioning the impartiality of the Election Commission and the legality of the ongoing SIR process.
He said India’s democracy relied on 98 crore voters, and the Commission must act as a neutral umpire between political parties.(KNS).