Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Smriti Irani has launched a scathing attack on the Congress party and various opposition groups over their ongoing protests against the Election Commission. In an exclusive interview, she alleged that Rahul Gandhi and his political allies do not merely want to raise questions about the poll body's functioning, but instead harbor a much larger political conspiracy. According to her, the real and underlying agenda of the opposition is to unseat a democratically elected government, effectively aiming for a regime change. Irani termed this entire conduct by the Congress as utterly unethical and questioned why, if they possess concrete evidence of alleged vote theft, they have not presented it before the Election Commission so far. This sharp political statement is expected to further intensify the ongoing standoff between the BJP and the Congress regarding the poll panel and the special intensive revision exercise.
Strong Defense of the Special Intensive Revision of Voter Lists
Defending the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, Smriti Irani stated that this nationwide administrative process has successfully verified nearly 90 percent of voters across the country. She posed a direct question asking whether the names of deceased individuals should indefinitely remain on voter lists. Furthermore, she asked whether multiple entries bearing the exact same name should continue to exist in official records. Irani claimed that during the course of these verifications, crores of names emerged that urgently required proper scrutiny. She also questioned the Congress party, pointing out that opposition booth level agents are active participants in the SIR process, and asked whether Rahul Gandhi is implying that everyone associated with the opposition camp is providing false information.
Ambitions of Power Transition and Opposition Strategy
Elaborating further during the interview, Irani asserted that Rahul Gandhi and his supporters are solely driven by the desire for a transition of power at any cost. She claimed they want to forcefully remove a government that has been elected through legitimate democratic processes. She alleged that the relentless attacks launched by the opposition against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar are also driven by this very political motive. According to her, Rahul Gandhi and the entire opposition alliance share the singular objective of attempting to topple the government. She once again challenged Rahul Gandhi regarding his allegations of vote theft, asking whether he has ever presented a single piece of evidence to back up his claims, despite repeatedly asserting in public that such proof is in his possession.
Startling Figures and Data Revealed During SIR
Shedding light on the statistics related to the special intensive revision, Irani explained that the primary objective of this exercise is to clean up and rectify the electoral rolls. She questioned whether anyone would want the names of dead people to persist in voter registers or wish for duplicate entries of the same individual to remain active, noting that steps like SIR are crucial to preventing illegal activities in the nation. Irani claimed that scrutiny revealed the names of roughly three crore deceased individuals, alongside about one crore duplicate entries. Additionally, she noted that nearly six crore people were found to have migrated from their previous residential addresses, while roughly three crore individuals remained untraceable. She questioned whether such questionable names should be allowed to remain on voter lists.
Addressing the Role of Opposition Booth Agents
Addressing the involvement of Congress booth agents, Irani pointed out that the Election Commission is not the sole entity operating within the SIR framework, as workers belonging to the Congress and the INDIA bloc are equally engaged in it. She questioned whether Congress workers acting as booth level agents are engaging in illegal activities. She emphasized that robust appeal mechanisms are available for every citizen within the SIR procedure, noting that from the preparation of voter lists to polling and final counting, opposition workers have been active participants at every single stage. She asked whether Rahul Gandhi's statements imply that the entire machinery of the opposition is lying. Irani underscored that while raising objections is a valid process, the opposition must specify the exact irregularities they are alleging rather than making sweeping claims.
Addressing Allegations Against Election Commissioners
Addressing questions regarding alleged differences between Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and other election commissioners, Irani remarked that different individuals are entitled to have varying opinions. However, she emphasized that any difference of opinion does not grant anyone the license to label someone a thief. She pointed out that all three election commissioners have jointly issued a formal written statement, leaving no room for further controversy.
