Nilambur (Kerala), Sep 23 — Amid the ongoing row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday described the issue as "extremely serious" for democracy, questioning its relevance if elections are not held fairly.
Priyanka Gandhi further said that if the Election Commissioners were aware and were allowing it to happen, then it's a very serious assault on democracy.
Speaking to reporters, the Wayanad MP said her brother and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had been continuously raising concerns over alleged bias and injustice in the electoral process.
“As you know, my brother Rahul Gandhi has been continuously taking up this issue about the bias and injustice going on,” she said.
Priyanka Gandhi said Election Commissioners themselves had highlighted certain issues to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, as she stressed the importance of ensuring free and fair elections.
“It is an extremely serious issue for democracy because if there are no elections, then where is the democracy? If the elections are unfair and they are being rigged in any manner, and the Election Commission is assisting in that,” she said.
She further said that it's a "very serious assault on democracy".
“If the Election Commissioners were aware of that and were allowing it to happen, then it is a very, very serious assault on democracy. Actually, it is treachery against the nation. It is an act of treason, and whoever is doing it should be properly investigated,” she added.
Priyanka Gandhi said India, as the world's largest democracy, could not afford to take such issues lightly.
"We have had a robust democracy for years, for decades. We can't afford to go lightly on these issues. We are working tirelessly to strengthen our democracy, and here is the Election Commission that is doing all it can to weaken it," she said.
She further referred to allegations concerning the deletion and manipulation of voter lists in several states.
“If what is coming in the media is actually a fact, and what we have suspected for a long time, which Rahul Gandhi has been highlighting again and again about the deletion and manipulation of voter lists, is true, then those responsible have to be taken to task,” she said, referring to allegations raised in states including Maharashtra and Haryana.
The latest controversy comes after a leading daily published an investigative report claiming that on 14 occasions over a period of 10 months, two Election Commissioners had objected on record to steps taken by the Commission.
According to the report, the objections related to a range of decisions and processes, including allegations that the Commissioners were kept in the dark about certain matters and issues concerning the addition of new voters and deletion of names from electoral rolls.
Earlier in the day, the ECI rejected the newspaper report claiming that two Election Commissioners had "objected on record" to several decisions taken by the poll panel, allegedly without their knowledge.
People familiar with the developments and having direct knowledge of the matter said that no Election Commissioner had recorded any dissent on the decisions taken by the poll body. They said the two Commissioners had only made certain observations, which were subsequently examined by the Commission.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said that all decisions taken by the poll body in recent years should be reviewed by a Parliamentary Committee.
He also demanded that the Special Intensive Review (SIR) process, which is currently underway across several parts of the nation, should be immediately suspended.