Smriti Irani targets Congress over ECI remarks, questions opposition's stand on voter list revision

BJP leader Smriti Irani on Tuesday accused the Congress leadership of undermining constitutional bodies and questioning the integrity of the Election Commission of India (ECI) instead of introspecting on its electoral defeats.

Addressing a press conference, Irani criticised the opposition party's recent statements on electoral roll updates and voter list revisions. She recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance that political opposition to him was part of democracy, but attacks should not target democratic institutions.

"Prime Minister Modi has repeatedly said: criticise him, attack him, but do not let this attack turn into an assault on constitutional institutions and India's democracy," Irani stated. "However, the Congress leadership is leaving no stone unturned in tearing apart India's constitutional framework."

Irani questions Congress over voter list revision

Responding to Congress's claims regarding 13.3 crore entries in voter lists, Irani said the Election Commission had issued an official clarification on the door-to-door verification process conducted by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to remove duplicate and deceased voters.

Questioning the Congress's opposition to the exercise, she said, "If there are duplicate names or deceased individuals in the electoral rolls, why does the Congress party want the names of deceased people restored? Why does the Congress party want duplicate entries to remain?"

Irani also questioned the Congress leadership's position in states governed by non-BJP parties, including Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala and Karnataka, asking whether it applied the same standards to the Election Commission in those states.

Irani invokes Congress's history

Referring to the Congress's historical reference to the pre-independence Lahore Session, Irani cited British official A.O. Hume's role in the formation of the Indian National Congress and its alleged aim of protecting British colonial interests.

Criticising the opposition for using historical parallels to question the democratic setup, Irani remarked, "A Congress party that was created for the protection of the British Empire is today attacking the Election Commission of India... Nothing could be more shameful than this."

Congress demands resignations over ECI row

Meanwhile, a day before the INDIA alliance meeting, the Congress on Tuesday demanded the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah following media reports about internal dissent within the Election Commission of India.

The demand was adopted through a resolution at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's top decision-making body.

The resolution called for the resignation of Modi, Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. It also demanded an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists across several states and the reinstatement of over 13 lakh names removed from electoral rolls during the revision process.

The CWC's reaction followed an Indian Express report stating that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised 14 procedural and legal objections against CEC Gyanesh Kumar regarding the conduct of the SIR exercise, including flagging recent modifications to Form 6 as "illegal."