Congress to hold rally on SIR issue after Bihar defeat
What's the story
The Indian National Congress has announced a rally at Ramlila Maidan, Delhi, in the first week of December. The rally will be against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The rally follows the culmination of a nationwide signature drive against the 'vote-chori' allegations, during which the party collected five crore signatures from across the country.
Leadership concerns
Congress leaders express concerns over SIR process
The decision to hold the rally was taken at a meeting of Congress leaders from 12 states, where the SIR process is underway. The meeting was presided over by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by prominent leaders like Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal. Kharge expressed disappointment with the Election Commission's (EC) conduct during this process, accusing it of operating under Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) influence.
Integrity concerns
Congress accuses EC of compromising electoral integrity
Kharge said, "It must immediately demonstrate that it is not operating under the BJP's shadow and remembers its Constitutional oath and allegiance to the people of India." "We will expose every attempt, however subtle, to delete genuine voters or insert bogus ones," he said. Venugopal echoed these concerns, alleging the EC's deliberate deletion of targeted votes, citing Bihar as an example. The Congress won just six of the 61 seats it contested in the recent Bihar elections.
Process criticism
Congress leaders criticize rushed SIR process
Venugopal criticized the rushed nature of the SIR process, which usually takes six months to a year but is being completed in one month. He also raised concerns over work pressure on Booth Level Officers (BLOs), citing suicides in Kerala, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. "The Kerala Assembly passed a resolution to postpone the SIR exercise. Even the Kerala Chief Election Officer requested the CEC that this was not the right time to conduct SIR in the state," he said.
Letter
Open letter to Gandhi
Amid these allegations, a group of over 200 retired judges, bureaucrats, former Army officers, and diplomats have slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI). The group issued an open letter accusing Gandhi of trying to "drape political frustration in the garb of institutional crisis." The letter was signed by 272 people, including 16 retired judges and 123 former bureaucrats.