'Vote chori biggest anti-national act': Rahul Gandhi's big charge at EC

The Congress leader said that there is institutional capture of the Election Commission that directly controls the election system of the country

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday renewed his attacks on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India, saying "vote chori is the biggest anti-national act".

 

Participating in the debate on electoral reforms in the Lower House, Gandhi said, "Biggest anti-national act you can do is 'vote chori'. When you destroy vote, you destroy idea of India." 

 

Taking a swipe at the treasury bench, Gandhi said, "Those across the aisle are doing an anti-national act by committing 'vote chori'."

 

The Congress leader claimed that there is "institutional capture" of the Election Commission by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the BJP. "There is institutional capture, which directly controls the election system of our country," he said.

 

“I have given proof how the EC is colluding with those in power to shape elections,” he added.

 

  Rahul Gandhi posed three questions before the House, claiming they will "make it clear that BJP is directing" and using the Election Commission to "damage India's democracy”. 

 

The Congress leader asked:

• Why the Chief Justice of India was removed from the selection panel for appointing election commissioners
• Why Prime Minister, Home Minister gave gift of immunity to election commissioners by changing law
• Why was law on CCTV footage changed

The leader suggested that for reforms, the poll panel should give machine-readable voter lists to all parties a month before the elections and repeal the law allowing CCTV footage destruction. 

Rahul Gandhi has been raising "vote chori" allegations against the Election Commission, accusing the poll panle of “colluding with those in power” and that recent elections, including in Haryana, were “stolen”. 

 

“Haryana elections were stolen and theft was ensured by the Election Commission,” Rahul Gandhi said.  

Gandhi also reiterated his viral claim of the picture of a Brazilian woman coming up in the Haryana elections. In November this year, Gandhi claimed there was a large-scale voter list manipulation in Haryana, adding that the picture of the woman was used to vote 22 times in 10 different booths, under multiple names. The model had responded to the claims, denying any connection to the elections.  The Congress leader claimed the outcome of influencing the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commission is "visible" in the way election campaigns are now designed. "We have a set of election campaigns that are tailored for the Prime Minister.  There are four to five-month-long campaigns that are designed in a way that the Prime Minister's schedule can be fitted," he said.