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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
'Unless you win, it won't matter': Salman Khurshid on Bihar SIR row
Amidst the ongoing political turmoil in Bihar due to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls being conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI), Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Saturday said it doesn't matter if anyone raises questions on the EC, as in the end, winning the election will only matter. Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Saturday said it doesn't matter if anyone raises questions on the EC.(ANI) "Whoever is raising questions (on the Election Commission), let them... The reality is that, ultimately, unless you win the election, your point will not matter", Salman Khurshid told ANI. Salman Khurshid's statement has come at such a time when many of his senior party members are strongly opposing ECI's move to conduct a revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. On Friday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday called the Bharatiya Janata Part "chori ki sarkar, choron ki sarkar" (forming a government of thieves) in Maharashtra by manipulating voter rolls, and a similar manipulation of electoral rolls is happening with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar ahead of the elections. While speaking at the 'Samvidhan Bachao Samavesh' event in Odisha's Bhubaneswar, Kharge said that out of the 7 crore voters in Bihar, 2 crore voters will be left out of the electoral rolls due to the ongoing SIR, and appealed to the people to "oust the traitors and teach them a lesson." "There is a 'chori ki sarkar', 'choron ki sarkar' in Maharashtra. 85 lakh voters were changed, and then the BJP Govt came to power there. Similarly, in Bihar, out of 7 crore voters there, 2 crore voters are being cancelled," the Congress president said. Meanwhile, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi Friday accused Election Commission of India of "hatching a conspiracy" for "chunav chori (election theft)" in Bihar, referring to poll-body's decision to revise electoral rolls in the state ahead of assembly election there. Addressing Samvidhan Bachao Samavesh in Bhubaneswar, Rahul Gandhi said that ECI is "working as a BJP wing" and alleged that similar attempts to "steal election" are being made in Bihar just like they were made in Maharashtra. "BJP is attacking the constitution. Yesterday I was in Bihar. Just like 'chunav chori' was done in Maharashtra, similar attempts are being made to do "chunav chori" in Bihar. EC has hatched a new conspiracy for 'chunav chori'. EC is working as a BJP wing, it is not doing its own job," Rahul Gandhi said. The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Election Commission to continue with its exercise of conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi did not stay the SIR process but asked the ECI to consider allowing Aadhaar, ration cards, and electoral photo identity cards as admissible documents to prove voter identity during the SIR of electoral rolls being undertaken in Bihar. "We are of the prima facie opinion that in the interest of justice, the Election Commission will also include documents like Aadhaar, Ration Card, Voter ID card, etc.. It is for the ECI to decide whether it wants to accept the documents or not, and if it does not, then provide reasons for its decision, which shall be sufficient to satisfy the petitioners. Meanwhile, petitioners are not pressing for an interim stay," the bench stated in its order.
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Unless you win the election, it will not matter," says Congress' Salman Khurshid on Bihar SIR controversy
Patna (Bihar) [India], July 12 (ANI): Amidst the ongoing political turmoil in Bihar due to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls being conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI), Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Saturday said it doesn't matter if anyone raises questions on the EC as in the end winning the election will only matter. 'Whoever is raising questions (on the Election Commission), let them... The reality is that, ultimately, unless you win the election, your point will not matter', Salman Khurshid told ANI. Salman Khurshid's statement has come at such a time when many of his senior party members are strongly opposing ECI's move to conduct a revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. On Friday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday called the Bharatiya Janata Part 'chori ki sarkar, choron ki sarkar' (forming a government of thieves) in Maharashtra by manipulating voter rolls, and a similar manipulation of electoral rolls is happening with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar ahead of the elections. While speaking at the 'Samvidhan Bachao Samavesh' event in Odisha's Bhubaneswar, Kharge said that out of the 7 crore voters in Bihar, 2 crore voters will be left out of the electoral rolls due to the ongoing SIR, and appealed to the people to 'oust the traitors and teach them a lesson.' 'There is a 'chori ki sarkar', 'choron ki sarkar' in Maharashtra. 85 lakh voters were changed and then BJP Govt came to power there. Similarly in Bihar, out of 7 crore voters there, 2 crore voters are being cancelled,' the Congress president said. Meanwhile, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi Friday accused Election Commission of India of 'hatching a conspiracy' for 'chunav chori (election theft)' in Bihar, referring to poll-body's decision to revise electoral rolls in the state ahead of assembly election there. Addressing Samvidhan Bachao Samavesh in Bhubaneswar, Rahul Gandhi said that ECI is 'working as a BJP wing' and alleged that similar attempts to 'steal election' are being made in Bihar just like they were made in Maharashtra. 'BJP is attacking the constitution. Yesterday I was in Bihar. Just like 'chunav chori' was done in Maharashtra, similar attempts are being made to do 'chunav chori' in Bihar. EC has hatched a new conspiracy for 'chunav chori'. EC is working as a BJP wing, it is not doing its own job,' Rahul Gandhi said. The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Election Commission to continue with its exercise of conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi did not stay the SIR process but asked the ECI to consider allowing Aadhaar, ration cards, and electoral photo identity cards as admissible documents to prove voter identity during the SIR of electoral rolls being undertaken in Bihar. 'We are of the prima facie opinion that in the interest of justice, the Election Commission will also include documents like Aadhaar, Ration Card, Voter ID card, etc.. It is for the ECI to decide whether it wants to accept the documents or not, and if it does not, then provide reasons for its decision, which shall be sufficient to satisfy the petitioners. Meanwhile, petitioners are not pressing for an interim stay,' the bench stated in its order. (ANI)
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Rath deliberately stalled to help Adanis pull chariots, says Rahul; he has a habit of lying: BJP
1 2 Bhubaneswar: The BJP govt in Odisha slammed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday for his allegation that this year's Rath Yatra was stalled to allow industrialist Gautam Adani and his family pull the chariots the next day. While there are past precedents of the chariots getting stalled for various reasons, Rahul tore into the govt saying, "Adani runs Odisha govt. Adani runs Narendra Modi. When Jagannath Yatra was taken out in Odisha, lakhs of people witnessed it. Then, a drama took place. The chariots were stopped for Adani and his family. This will help you understand everything about the Odisha govt." Slamming Rahul, who was in Bhubaneswar to attend the 'Samvidhan Bachao Samavesh' (Save the Constitution rally), state law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said he has a habit of lying. "The claims of Rahul Gandhi are false and baseless," said Harichandan, explaining that Lord Balabhadra's chariot had deviated from its path due to an irregular turn, causing delay in pulling the chariots of Lord Jagannath and Devi Subhadra. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha renewed his criticism of the Election Commission of India (ECI), a day after Supreme Court allowed it to proceed with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like "혈액순환 싹~ 손발저림이 사라졌어요~ '' 하루1번 '이것' 먹었을뿐 ,,, 피로개선 끝판왕 더 알아보기 Claiming that Congress will continue to oppose the SIR in Bihar, Rahul said, "The ECI is acting like a body of the BJP and attempting to steal the forthcoming Bihar mandate, similar to the practice they had adopted in Maharashtra. The Congress will not allow the ECI and BJP to repeat the Maharashtra-like 'chunav chori' (vote theft) in Bihar." Rahul also accused the Centre and state of handing over the state's resources to a handful of billionaires. Accusing the state govt of "stealing the wealth" from poor tribals, who form about 22% of the state's population, the Congress leader said, "Just like the previous BJD govt, this BJP govt is allowing 5-6 big companies to exploit the state's land, water, and forests." He added, "Nowhere in the Constitution has it been written that the country belongs to Adani, Ambani and billionaires. The land in the country belongs to the poor and farmers and not to a single billionaire. But wherever we see, be it Odisha or Chhattisgarh, only one name is being seen — Adani." Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who also addressed the rally, took potshots at PM Modi over Operation Sindoor. "US President Donald Trump claimed that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan. But, Modi remained silent as he lacked the courage to counter Trump. The PM's only interest is in visiting foreign countries and getting awards there," Kharge said. BJP state president Manmohan Samal hit back, highlighting Modi's effective governance. "Modi ji's good governance has impressed global leaders. Operation Sindoor has been widely praised by international experts. People in the country have not forgotten the Congress misrule. Odisha has made rapid progress under our double engine govt," Samal said. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan termed Congress-sponsored 'Samvidhan Bachao Samavesh' as 'save Rahul Gandhi and Congress' event. "Congress faced crushing defeats in Maharashtra and Haryana, after which Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge are blaming the Election Commission and democratic institutions for their losses. The history of Congress has always been one of neglecting the rights of the poor and marginalized sections," Pradhan said.
India Gazette
4 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Congress says Bihar SIR will
Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], July 11 (ANI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday called the Bharatiya Janata Part 'chori ki sarkar, choron ki sarkar' (thieves forming a stolen government) in Maharashtra by manipulating voter rolls, and a similar manipulation of electoral rolls is happening with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar ahead of the elections. While speaking at the 'Samvidhan Bachao Samavesh' event in Odisha's Bhubaneswar, Kharge said that out of the 7 crore voters in Bihar, 2 crore voters will be left out of the electoral rolls due to the ongoing SIR, and appealed to the people to 'oust the traitors and teach them a lesson.' 'There is a 'chori ki sarkar', 'choron ki sarkar' in Maharashtra. 85 lakh voters were changed and then BJP Govt came to power there. Similarly in Bihar, out of 7 crore voters there, 2 crore voters are being cancelled,' the Congress president said. Calling for people to vote out the Bharatiya Janata in Bihar, the Rajya Sabha MP added, 'Do you want such a government, such people? Will this safeguard democracy? We should oust traitors and teach them a lesson.' The claim of lakhs of voters being added in Maharashtra's electoral has been repeatedly brought up by Congress, including party leader Rahul Gandhi, who has demanded answers from the Election Commission of India and asked them to publish the electoral rolls in machine readable format for parties to analyse. Rahul Gandhi claims that the alleged discrepancy happened as more than 70 lakhs voters were added in the electoral rolls between the Lok Sabha elections and the Assembly elections. Rahul Gandhi, who also addressed the event in Bhubaneswar earlier today, accused the Election Commission of India of 'hatching a conspiracy' for 'chunav chori (election theft)' in Bihar. Claiming that the ECI is working 'as a BJP wing' 'BJP is attacking the constitution. Yesterday I was in Bihar. Just like 'chunav chori' was done in Maharashtra, similar attempts are being made to do 'chunav chori' in Bihar. EC has hatched a new conspiracy for 'chunav chori'. EC is working as a BJP wing, it is not doing its own job,' Lok Sabha's leader of Opposition said. 'In Maharashtra, between Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections, 1 crore new voters were added. Nobody knows who were these voters and where did they come from. We told EC several times to provide us with the voter list and videography. But EC does not provide us with the same. They are going to do the same 'chori' in Bihar, that was done in Maharashtra,' he added. The Congress leader also visited Bihar on July 9 to attend the Bihar Bandh rally, where the issue of the Bihar SIR was also raised, along with party's alliance partner Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The Supreme Court allowed the Election continue with its exercise of conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi, while allowing the process to be continued, asked the ECI to consider allowing Aadhaar, ration cards, and electoral photo identity cards as admissible documents to prove voter identity during the process. The Revision of electoral rolls is expected to be finished by July 25. (ANI)
The Wire
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
In a Bid to Woo Dalits, Adivasis, Rahul Gandhi Invokes ‘BJP-Adani' Nexus
New Delhi: Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi, who is visiting Odisha as part of the Congress's attempts to revive its organisation in the state, hit out at the state BJP government for cowering under pressure from industrialists. Addressing a 'Samvidhan Bachao Samavesh' or 'Save the Constitution Rally' in Bhubaneswar on Friday (July 11), Gandhi said that the Mohan Majhi-led government was being entirely controlled by 'five or six billionaires like Adani' who wanted to steal ' jal, jangal, zameen ' (water, forests and land) from the Adivasis of Odisha. Adivasis form around 22% of the state's population. 'Nowhere in the constitution has it been written that the country belongs to Adani, Ambani and billionaires. This country belongs to every citizen. The land in the country belongs to the poor and farmers, and not to a single billionaire. But wherever we see, be it Odisha or Chhattisgarh, only one name is being seen – Adani,' Gandhi said, in a speech that closely resembled the political messaging in his recent speeches in neighbouring Chhattisgarh. Repeating his slogan that the constitution was 'under attack' during the BJP regime both at the Union and state levels, Gandhi held up the now-familiar copy of the constitution with a red cover. He went on to allege that the recent stampede during the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, in which over 50 devotees were grievously injured and three were killed, happened because of the state government's VIP treatment towards the visiting Adani family. Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge during a political affairs committee meeting in Bhubaneswar. Photo by arrangement. 'When the Jagannath Yatra is taken out in Odisha, when rath s [chariots] are pulled, lakhs of people witness it and follow it. Then, a drama takes place and the raths were stopped for Adani and his family. This will make you understand everything about the Odisha government,' Gandhi said. 'The Odisha government, just like Prime Minister Modi, is being run by Adani,' he said. Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and his family visited Puri during the Rath Yatra on June 28, before which the industrial group's free food campaign for all devotees was much publicised in the state's media. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal also accompanied Gandhi in the rally. Both leaders also presided over a political affairs committee meeting in Bhubaneswar. Given the tone and tenor of Gandhi's speech on Friday, it appears that the Congress, which has remained out of power in the state since 1995, will focus on rebuilding its organisation among Dalits and Adivasis around issues of jal, jangal and zameen and the associated cronyism of the state government. In his speech at the rally, Kharge, too, took aim at the alleged crony practices of the BJP. He accused the party of appointing a chief minister who aides people like 'Adani-Ambani' to corner land for mining purposes. He added that while the Congress was instrumental in securing Adivasi rights through the Forest Rights Act of 2006, the Narendra Modi government has worked hard to weaken it. He urged people to fight against such a 'usurping' of rights and secure them by strengthening the Congress. Kharge said that the Modi government allegedly wanted to replace the constitution with the Manusmriti by securing over 400 Lok Sabha seats, but that the 'people of the country' did not give them that chance. He said that it will take a collective fight to save the constitution. 'If the constitution is changed, there will be no universal franchise and no reservations,' he said. Citing a recent instance where two Dalit men were publicly humiliated by a cow vigilante group in Ganjam district, he said if the constitution is changed, Dalits and Adivasis will not be allowed to enter temples. At the rally, Gandhi also attacked the Election Commission (EC), terming it an 'organ of the BJP' and accusing the latter of stealing the election across India 'the way it did in Maharashtra'. 'In this, the EC is hatching a new conspiracy and working as a wing of the BJP instead of doing its own job. Over one crore new voters were added between Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Maharashtra. To date, nobody knows who these voters were and where they came from. We asked the EC to provide the voter list and video not once but several times. The EC still hasn't done that,' Gandhi said. He also said that over 40,000 women were missing in Odisha, and the recent cases of sexual assault point to a larger lack of safety for women in the state.
