Centre brought law in 2023 to ensure no one can take action against ECI: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday hit out at the Election Commission of India (ECI) after its press conference, pointing out that the Modi government brought in a law in 2023 to ensure that no one can take action against the poll body as it is "helping" the BJP and "indulging in vote chori” along with them.

Addressing a gathering at Aurangabad in Bihar at the end of first day of his Voter Adhikar Yatra, which began from Sasaram this afternoon, Gandhi also said while he was asked to submit an affidavit after his press conference exposing vote chori, no such demand was made from BJP leaders who made similar claims in their presser.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar was a way to steal votes of the people of the state.

“Today they (ECI) held a press conference. I want to ask them why did the government change the law on CCTV footage of election process?"

“Do you know that no case can be initiated against the election commissioners. In no court in India can there be a case against them. This law was made in 2023. Why was this law made? It was made because Narendra Modi and Amit Shah want to ensure that no one can take any action against the ECI as it is helping them and is indulging in vote chori along with them,” Gandhi said.

He said it is a fight to protect Ambedkar's Constitution and the principle of ‘one person, one vote’.

Earlier, addressing a press conference in Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner Gynaesh Kumar defended the intensive electoral roll revision (SIR) in Bihar saying is aimed at removing all shortcomings in voter lists.

Kumar said the ECI does not discriminate among political parties, and both ruling and opposition parties are equal before the poll authority. However, the Congress said the CEC's statement was "laughable".