cong-says-eci-should-not-have-institutional-arrogance

Mounting its criticism against Election Commission , Congress today resorted to a new high of  fault finding slant contending the poll body should not have "institutional arrogance". The party took on ECI questioning its measures over  legality while  asking to stop the Special Intensive Revision exercise underway in Bihar.

Senior Congress leader and legal luminary  Abhishek Manu Singhvi at a joint press conference held here along with CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, RJD MP Manoj Jha and CPI(M) leader Nilotpal Basu, said that the exercise being undertaken by Election Commission has become a "citizenship test" and questioned its legality.

 

He urged the poll panel to roll back its decision to hold the exercise before state Assembly polls."I humbly request the Election Commission, this is not a matter of political obstinacy. It is not a matter of institutional arrogance. Please reconsider it. Everyone is urging you," he said.Singhvi questioned the need to hurry with the exercise ahead of state polls, and asked if it was a citizenship test.

 

 

"Various statements issued by the Election Commission indicate that this is a citizenship exercise," he said, adding, "It has said in repeated statements why Aadhaar, election photo identity cards or ration cards are not being accepted. This means they want evidence of citizenship. The question is, does the Election Commission have the right to examine citizenship?" "The court will look into the different aspects of this exercise.

 

 But if the Election Commission do not have institutional arrogance or political obstinacy, it can easily stop this now and do it after the election. There is absolutely no reason to link it with a particular election in two months," Singhvi said.

CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said that the poll body's "self-congratulatory" claims are corroborating their apprehensions.

 

"They are making all kinds of self-congratulatory and misleading claims. We heard that names of over 65 lakh voters will be removed. Election Commission's claim is basically corroborating our apprehension," he said."The Election Commission has made one very false claim that they have shared this with political parties. We have received data about pending enumeration forms, which were not submitted," Bhattacharya said, adding that the process lacked transparency.