The Punjab Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a government resolution seeking an independent inquiry into alleged electoral irregularities and the functioning of the Election Commission under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accused the BJP of electoral manipulation, describing the alleged theft of votes as dangerous for democracy. He also demanded that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls be scrapped.
Speaking during the discussion on the second day of the Assembly session, Mann claimed that the names of 14 crore voters had been removed from electoral rolls across the country under the guise of the SIR. He accused the BJP of using the Election Commission to add voters who favoured it and remove those who supported opposition parties. He also alleged that elections in Bihar, West Bengal, Haryana and Maharashtra had been won through “vote chori”.
The six-day special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha began on Thursday and will continue until October 27. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema presented the resolution in the House.
The resolution was passed by voice vote when legislators of the Congress, Akali Dal and BJP were not present in the House. However, two rebel Akali MLAs, a Bahujan Samaj Party legislator and an Independent MLA were present.
The Assembly expressed concern over claims that citizens were being deprived of their right to vote and demanded protection of the voting rights of all eligible citizens.
“This House firmly reiterates that every eligible citizen's vote is precious in a democracy. Illegally depriving any citizen of the right to vote goes against the fundamental values of constitutional democracy,” the resolution said, according to PTI.
It said protecting people's voting rights and ensuring the accountability of electoral institutions were essential to safeguard democracy. The House demanded an independent, impartial and credible mechanism to investigate alleged irregularities in the electoral process and voter lists under Kumar so that the truth could emerge and accountability could be fixed.
The resolution said criminal proceedings should be initiated under the law if concrete evidence of criminal violations emerged against anyone during the investigation. It also said: “Babasaheb Ambedkar gave every citizen of India an equal right to vote through the Constitution, but Gyanesh Kumar, while tearing apart the Constitution, has worked to deprive this right from the citizens of India.”
Mann alleged that the country had reached a stage where the BJP government, which was once elected by the people, was deciding who could vote. He warned that “dictatorship” had taken control of all four pillars of democracy.
“Whenever any opposition party raises questions over the functioning of EVMs, the BJP comes out in support of the system. Now they are supporting CEC Gyanesh Kumar. It means they know that Gyanesh Kumar helped them win elections. This is dangerous for democracy,” Mann said, according to PTI.
He urged citizens to protect the Constitution, uphold democratic values and speak out whenever people's rights were threatened. “Punjab has taken the lead by passing a resolution against electoral irregularities. Every eligible citizen must be able to exercise the right to vote without fear of arbitrary exclusion,” he said.
“The right to vote is not a favour bestowed by any government. It is the foundation for democratic participation, and no eligible citizen should face unnecessary hardships or arbitrary exclusion while establishing their eligibility,” Mann added.
While presenting the resolution, Cheema accused the BJP of taking away the voting rights of the poor. Referring to the Delhi elections held last year, he alleged that the BJP came to power in the national capital through “vote chori”.
Cheema said the electoral roll revision had raised serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process in different parts of the country. “Public confidence in democratic institutions can be maintained only by ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded and every citizen's voting right remains protected,” he said.
Akali Dal Waris Punjab De leader Manpreet Singh Ayali supported the resolution and said the SIR exercise was mired in controversy. He alleged that votes were being removed to benefit the BJP and demanded an independent inquiry.
Ayali also demanded Kumar's resignation and accused the Election Commission of neither registering Waris Punjab De nor allotting it an election symbol. Aam Aadmi Party MLA Inderjit Kaur Mann demanded that voting be conducted only through ballot papers.
The resolution reiterated that every eligible citizen must be allowed to vote and called for an independent investigation into the alleged electoral irregularities, with legal action against anyone found responsible.
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With PTI inputs