Rigging polls with CEC's knowledge is treason, says Priyanka Gandhi
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said any rigging of elections with the CEC's knowledge amounts to treason and called for a fair investigation.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Wednesday that any manipulation of elections carried out with the knowledge of the Chief Election Commissioner would amount to treason against the nation, and demanded that those responsible be held to account.
Speaking to reporters at Nilambur in her Wayanad constituency, she said the conduct of free and fair polls is inseparable from democracy itself. If elections are unfair, rigged in any manner, or assisted by the Election Commission of India while the poll panel's head is aware of it, that represents a grave assault on democracy, she said.
"It is actually treachery with the nation. It is an act of treason and whoever is doing it has to be taken to task," she said.
Her remarks followed reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had flagged multiple issues, including the deletion of names in various states, during the voter roll cleanup under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Election Commission officials have maintained that the poll body was unanimous in its decisions relating to the pan-India exercise.
Ms. Vadra said her brother, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, has consistently raised concerns about bias and injustice within the Election Commission, and that some of these issues are now surfacing in the media.
She called for a proper investigation, cautioning that the inquiry should not be left to those who would not conduct it fairly. The process, she said, must be one that the entire country can trust as being carried out properly.
Describing India as the world's largest democracy with a robust tradition built over decades, she said such matters cannot be treated lightly. She said the party has long suspected manipulation of voter lists, the deletion of lakhs of voters, and irregularities in Maharashtra and Haryana, and that if the reports are accurate, the issue is extremely serious.
Those responsible, she added, must be held accountable. Ms. Vadra is in her constituency for a 10-day visit.