Kanimozhi joining INDIA bloc march to the Election Commission
- Kanimozhi said bills are being passed amid protests in the House, debate on Bihar poll rolls is not allowed
- Instead of providing poll data in digital format, the poll body is giving it in paper format, she said
- It is not a fight between the Congress and the ruling party but a fight for a fair election process, she said
Lamenting the state of parliamentary democracy - bills being passed amid protests in the House, debate on revision of electoral rolls in Bihar not allowed - DMK's Kanimozhi today cited how opposition MPs were stopped and then briefly detained when they led a march to the Election Commission, alleging voter fraud.
Delhi Police, which briefly detained the MPs, said the Opposition did not have permission for a protest of this scale, and that only a group of 30 MPs had been allowed to march to the poll body and submit a complaint.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, last Thursday cited data from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to claim over 1 lakh votes were "stolen" through five types of manipulation in an assembly segment in Karnataka.
"It is not just one issue we are talking about. We have been asking the government to have a discussion and debate about Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Parliament, which they have been refusing. And parliament has not been able to function because of that. Time and again, the opposition has been demanding a debate, which they haven't given in to till today. Certain bills, which we've been requesting the government to send to a select committee have been passed today in the din. So, this is what the state of the parliamentary democracy is in the country today," Kanimozhi, 56, told NDTV when asked about what the MPs were protesting against.
The Opposition's demand for a discussion on SIR in both houses has been rejected, with the government arguing that no discussion on the functioning of a constitutional body can be taken up in parliament.
"And definitely there are a lot of questions about SIR. And recently, when the LOP had a press conference also, he clearly explained what is happening across the country, how the BJP is winning elections. So, actually, it's questioning the entire election process of this country," said Kanimozhi, who is DMK's party's parliamentary leader.
Mr Gandhi had said last week that the Congress expected to win 16 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka in 2024 but ended up with only nine.
He said the Congress investigated seven unexpected losses, zeroing in on Mahadevapura. Presenting Congress' research on voting in the Mahadevapura Assembly in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi alleged "vote chori" (vote theft) of 100,250 votes.
"Actually, if the LOP is not right, then I think it is the duty of the Election Commission to come and explain it. When the Opposition parties are asking for data, digital data, why is the Election Commission giving them paper data, which is actually making it impossible to find out what is happening?" asked Kanimozhi, whose party is an ally of the Congress and part of the Opposition INDIA bloc.
"There are people from the media who have gone to certain houses, which the LOP has mentioned, where there is just one family with 2-3 people. And actually, the voters' list has 80 people registered in that house. It is just not one incident. There are so many and people have been voting. I think it is the duty of the Election Commission to come out and explain. Today, they could have met us. They could have explained," said Kanimozhi, who represents Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu.
To Rahul Gandhi's allegations, the poll authority officials have been insisting on a signed declaration by the Congress leader to substantiate his claims.
Earlier today, the Election Commission said that Rahul Gandhi "still has time" to submit a formal declaration to substantiate his allegation of "vote theft" or apologise to the country.
"So, the Opposition has no right, according to the Union government to express its views, to have a healthy debate about SIR, about the election process, because what is the point of a government if we do not believe that the people actually elected it. There are doubts about it if the people really elected this government," said Kanimozhi.
The DMK MP underlined that it is not a fight between the Congress and the ruling party but a fight for a fair election process.
"I would like to clarify that this is not a battle between the Congress and the ruling party or the union government. It is a fight for the people, by the people, because it is their right to elect a government, have a fair and free election," she said.
Asked if this will also become an issue for Tamil Nadu, which will go to polls next year, Ms Kanimozhi said, "I think it is a concern for every state. We have seen elections in Haryana, we have seen elections in Maharashtra, we have seen what happened in Delhi polls. So, I cannot say that any state can be safe if this is the way the government is going to function and if this is how the Election Commission is going to conduct itself. I don't think any state or any election in this country can be a fair election. I think it is their responsibility to clear this doubt, which is there in the minds of people."
"What is the point of a government if we do not believe that the people elected it. There are doubts about if the people elected this government," she said.
