Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 23: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday questioned the Election Commission's silence over concerns reportedly raised by its own members regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asserting that changes in government must take place only through the people's mandate.
“A change of government is a process in every democracy. One party is in power today, and another may come to power at a different time. However, this depends on the functioning of a robust Election Commission,” she said.
Chaturvedi referred to the case involving former Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma and stressed that parliamentary procedures must be followed in such matters. She expressed hope that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla would act in accordance with the rules if a motion seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar was brought before Parliament.
She also criticised the Election Commission for not holding a press conference or responding to questions since issuing its press note on the matter.
Chaturvedi said the BJP should recognise that actions directed against the Opposition today could have consequences for the ruling party in the future.
“These concerns have come from within the Election Commission itself. The Election Commissioners met the Cabinet Secretary,” she said.
Questioning how the controversy began, Chaturvedi said the Opposition had not initially raised these concerns. She alleged that CEC Gyanesh Kumar had faced questions from two fellow Election Commissioners over the SIR exercise, including the addition and deletion of names from electoral rolls and the use of Forms 6 and 7.
Referring to media reports that the Cabinet Secretary had forwarded letters from the Election Commissioners to the Law Minister, she reiterated that any change of government must be brought about through democratic means.
“Today’s newspapers state that the Cabinet Secretary forwarded those letters to the Law Minister; if we talk about regime change, then it should be done only through the vote of the masses,” she said.
“Questions will be raised when you remove voters who would vote against you through SIR,” she added.
Chaturvedi also cautioned against drawing inspiration from Bangladesh or any other country for political change, emphasising that governments must be changed through the people's vote.
Earlier, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had said that any fresh motion seeking the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar would be examined in accordance with parliamentary rules and procedures. His remarks came amid Opposition protests over alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls.