Poll Fraud, BJP-EC ‘Collusion’ a Crime Against Constitution: Rahul

New Delhi: The fight between Election Commission of India (ECI) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi intensified on Friday as the former dared the Congress leader to say his allegations on oath indicating that if he "believes in his analysis and feels that his allegations against the EC are true, he should have no problem in signing the declaration under electoral rules and submit names wrongfully added or removed from voters' list."

Mr Gandhi, on the other hand, continued to target the ECI describing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as an "institutionalised chori" and claimed that institution was "openly colluding" with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to carry out this "theft" with the objective of taking away the voting rights of the poor. On Friday, in a rally in Bengaluru Mr Gandhi alleged ever since he made revelations, the EC websites in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar have been closed. The ECI has, however, denied this.

"The EC asks me to file an affidavit and give information under oath. I have taken oath inside the Parliament holding the Constitution," he said. Rahul Gandhi claimed that in Karnataka, Congress surveys showed them winning 15 to 16 seats in the Lok Sabha election. "Our polling showed that we were ahead in 16 seats but we won nine seats. Then we started questioning. Did we really lose elections? We were demanding the EC a soft copy voter list but they were rejecting it. When we demanded video, they rejected it and changed the law. They said that they should destroy the video after 45 days," Gandhi said.

His sister and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined in to slam the Election Commission over its officials asking Rahul Gandhi to share details of his claims on poll rigging under oath, and said if they feel their responsibility is only to the BJP then they need to rethink. She added that the ECI should conduct a probe and let the country know what is happening.

The ECI insisted that if Rahul Gandhi is confident about the documents that he waved in his press conference then why cant that be submitted to ECI formally, duly signed, to get answers to the allegations.

“We do not know which is the data he (Rahul) is showing. Where has it been downloaded from? Which is the year? The ECI will give all answers provided they get a proper complaint. ECI needs proof and documents. In the past he has never sent any self signed letter. Whatever reply we give is to other entities and every time he disowns it. For example, he raised the Maharashtra issue on December 24. Some advocate writes to us from AICC. Our reply is on our website but Rahul Gandhi says that we have never replied,” said sources.

“What Rahul Gandhi showed in the press conference was an analysis. Should ECI keep replying to lies being spread by some along with gravest of allegations without any letter with declaration?” sources added.

“If Rahul Gandhi does not sign the declaration, it would mean that he does not believe in his analysis and resultant conclusions and absurd allegations," ECI sources said adding in which case he should apologise to the nation. The chief electoral officers of three states also have asked Rahul Gandhi to share the names of electors he claimed were either included or excluded wrongfully from the voter lists along with a signed declaration for the poll authorities to initiate "necessary proceedings" in the matter.

Responding to the ECI charge, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Understand this, the affidavit they are asking for is under a law in which you have to give a petition within 30 days otherwise nothing will happen. So why are they asking for the affidavit? Such a big disclosure has been made. If it is unintentional, then investigate it. Why is the EC not giving voters' lists in a machine readable format and why is it not investigating. Instead you are saying sign an affidavit. Which is a bigger oath than what we take in Parliament? We have taken that oath, we are saying everything in public and are showing the evidence to you," Priyanka Gandhi told reporters in the Parliament House complex.

"The evidence is in front of them and they have to investigate it. How can they say it is wrong unless they investigate it? There can be no matter bigger than this. This is the democracy of our nation. It is not a joke. It is not about one party or another party. If they have not investigated it, they cannot say it is rubbish…I am sorry they (ECI) have a bigger responsibility. If they feel their responsibility is only to the BJP and only to one party, they need to rethink it because as my brother said, a day will come when other people are in power and then those who have colluded in this kind of complete destruction of our democracy will have to answer for it," she said.

Priyanka further said that INDIA bloc leaders will decide together on how to go about the issue of poll rigging.

The BJP ridiculed Mr Gandhi that his allegations of rigging in the Maharashtra assembly polls as a case of "someone cutting the branch he is sitting on." Accusing the Congress of trying to "belittle" India's constitutional bodies "in a systematic way for a family," the BJP charged Rahul Gandhi of using a language "unbecoming" of the Leader of Opposition. The ruling party noted that the LoP had warned officials of a constitutional body like the Election Commission of consequences for their alleged role in helping the ruling BJP. The BJP claimed that the Congress leader had prepared for a long time to make his case but the foundational logic of his allegation has turned out to be "incorrect".

Mocking Mr Gandhi's disclosure union minister Bhupendra Yadav said the Congress and its allies won most of the their seats where the number of voters had increased. Citing the EC data, Mr Yadav said the number of voters in the state assembly polls in November last year had increased by over 40 lakh compared to the Lok Sabha elections held earlier that year, and not by one crore as claimed by Gandhi. Naming a number of assembly constituencies like Madha, Mohol, Nagpur West and Nagpur North won by the Congress and its allies, the minister said the number of voters went up in these seats.

The minister accused the Congress leader of repeatedly trying to peddle lies to tarnish the poll body following his poll losses. “The Congress is trying to belittle our constitutional bodies in a systematic way for a family," he said, alleging that Gandhi had earlier demeaned the armed forces as well. He had to apologise to the Supreme Court for making wrong claims, the BJP leader added.