New Delhi [India], August 20 (ANI): Congress MP Kumari Selja on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission and the Central government, alleging "massive malpractice" and "fraud" in the electoral rolls of Uttarakhand.
Congress MP Kumari Selja and other party leaders reached outside the office of the Election Commission of India to submit a memorandum regarding SIR in Uttarakhand.
Speaking to reporters, the Congress MP said, "We have just come to the Election Commission. We wanted to submit a memorandum regarding the massive irregularities taking place in Uttarakhand under the guise of 'SIR', where the names of so many eligible voters are being struck off the electoral rolls. People are arbitrarily declared absent from their place of residence, and young individuals are falsely marked as deceased."
She further alleged that the standard operating procedures were being ignored to disenfranchise citizens.
"Notices are ostensibly issued but never actually reach the recipients, and no action is being taken against those responsible for these malpractices. The way this government is functioning is appalling. What is truly disheartening is that the EC is failing to assert its authority and stand above the government's flawed policies... This government has no faith in the Constitution or constitutional institutions," she said.
The Congress leader claimed that such a situation was unprecedented in her experience with the poll body.
"There is massive malpractice going on in Uttarakhand... We wanted to submit a memorandum to the Election Commission. It is our right... But we have come here many times before... We would be taken upstairs, present our case, be heard, and engage in a dialogue... But what kind of democracy has our country turned into? Today, the EC has locked its own office and shut itself inside. Are they in jail? It is very strange," she remarked.
Highlighting the scale of the alleged discrepancy, Kumari Selja said the issue affects hundreds of thousands of voters.
"It is not just about one candidate (one voter), but it is a question concerning the entire democracy of Uttarakhand: how many people's votes are being deleted, who is filing complaints, why there is no trace of them, and how people's names are being removed. These are major issues... Around 8 lakh people (are affected for this)... A fraud is going on there," she concluded.
Selja expressed her dismay at being blocked by barricades and locked gates.
"Here, we stand, being told not to cross the barricades, even though we are known to everyone here. We managed to get past the barricades, yet the massive lock on the gate remained unopened; it is deeply disheartening to be forced into such a situation. We are compelled to sit and raise slogans in front of such a prestigious institution. Then, one of their officers came out; they were speaking to us through the bars. Is this how things are handled? This upholds neither the dignity of the EC nor that of democracy... we insisted and urged them," she said.
She added that a small group was eventually allowed inside but questioned the need for such high security against representatives.
"Eventually, they agreed to let us come inside, a group of seven people. What threat did the EC perceive from 7-8 people?... why is the EC so terrified today?... We are merely representatives; answers must be given to the people. The Modi government must answer for keeping the EC confined like a bird in a cage." (ANI)
Kumari Selja alleges 'massive fraud' in Uttarakhand voter rolls, slams Modi govt over 'appalling' functioning
