Kumar Bahukhandi
EC Gyanesh Kumar has said that is a clean voter list not the foundation stone for democracy? (Photo: ITG)
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said that should the Election Commission be afraid of the questions being raised on SIR and allow the names of those people to remain in the voter list who are dead or have permanently shifted to other states. He said that is the voter list prepared by the Election Commission through a transparent process and fair elections not the foundation stone for a strong democracy?
Amidst the ongoing controversy over the review of voter list in Bihar, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has spoken out bluntly. He has said that should the Election Commission be scared of the baseless questions being raised on the Special Intensive Revision Campaign (SIR). CEC Gyanesh Kumar has said that the Constitution of India is the father of Indian democracy.
Gyanesh Kumar asked whether the commission should allow the names of those people to remain in the voter list who have died or have permanently shifted to other states. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said that by doing this, should the Election Commission clear the way for voters who have got voter IDs made at two places, fake voters or foreign voters to cast fake votes.
The Chief Election Commissioner described the questions being raised on SIR as Yaksh Prashna. He said that someday all of us and all the citizens of India will have to think deeply on these Yaksh questions by going beyond political ideologies. He said that perhaps the most appropriate time for this very necessary thinking has arrived in India.
Let us tell you that before the assembly elections in Bihar, the Election Commission is reviewing the voter list. This move of the commission has created controversy and other opposition parties of Bihar including Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress have opposed this process.
Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Wednesday raised the issue of SIR and said that when people in the state are battling floods, the timing of this campaign is not appropriate. The RJD leader said that the 11 types of documents sought by the Election Commission of India for special intensive revision are not appropriate. He said that poor people do not have such documents and the Election Commission has refused to accept documents like Aadhaar, ration card and MNREGA as proof of citizenship.
Now Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has put two Yaksha questions before the country, stressing on the need for special intensive revision of the voter list. He said that the Constitution of India is the father of India’s democracy. Hence two Yaksha questions arise in this regard. The first is whether the Election Commission should stop this process by getting influenced by such people out of fear of the baseless questions being raised on SIR. He asked whether the Election Commission should pave the way for casting fake votes in the name of dead voters, voters who have migrated permanently, voters who have got voter cards made at two places, fake voters or foreign voters, first in Bihar and then in the whole country.
The Chief Election Commissioner raised another question and said that is the voter list being prepared by the Election Commission through a transparent process and fair elections not the foundation stone for a strong democracy?
He said that someday we all and all the citizens of India will have to think deeply on these questions and to do this we will have to go beyond political ideologies.
According to the Chief Election Commissioner, the right time for this important thinking has probably arrived in India.
