Congress MP Kumari Selja on Tuesday said the BJP has weakened the institution of the Election Commission which should have been the epitome of transparency and justice.
She also called for bringing back the traditional paper ballots to preserve the sanctity of people’s votes and public mandate.
“The Election Commission is working at the behest of the BJP. An institution which represents the trust of around 148 crore people of the country has been weakened to the core by the ruling dispensation. We have seen how the two Election Commissioners have raised questions on the Chief Election Commissioner’s autocratic way of functioning,” Selja told The Tribune.
The Sirsa MP was in the national capital to participate in the ‘Save Democracy’ protest march organised by the INDIA bloc demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The Opposition alliance has announced nationwide protests for the removal of the CEC besides putting forth its key demands of scrapping the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and adopting the paper ballot system.
Asked about how paper ballot system can help in restoring democracy, the Haryana MP said many questions have been raised on the working of electronic voting machines (EVMs), but the poll panel has outright rejected the claims.
“It is high time we move back to the paper ballot system because the electorate of India have lost faith in EVMs that are being easily tampered with. The Election Commission has provided no concrete evidence to state otherwise,” Selja said.
The parliamentarian also noted that the protest march also signalled the unity of the Opposition bloc, and how all the parties under its umbrella, are on the same page regarding the resignation of the CEC. Asked about the INDIA bloc’s next stop, Selja said, “There is no next stop till democracy is restored.” “We will keep marching till our demands are fulfilled, and the CEC hang his boots,” she added.
