New Delhi— Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said that India’s identity is built on the collective strength of 1.5 billion citizens and held together by the power of their vote. He made these remarks during a debate on election reforms in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday during the Winter Session of Parliament.
Gandhi alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh does not believe in equality and instead promotes a hierarchical structure. He claimed that the organisation intensified its efforts to influence India’s institutions after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. According to him, this “institutional capture” has now extended to the Election Commission, which directly affects the country’s electoral process.
The Congress leader said he had already presented evidence showing that the Election Commission was acting in coordination with those in power to shape electoral outcomes. He posed three questions to the government, arguing that the answers would reveal how the ruling party was using the poll body to weaken democracy.
He questioned the government’s decision to remove the Chief Justice of India from the committee responsible for selecting election commissioners. Gandhi also criticised the Prime Minister and Home Minister for granting immunity to election commissioners through amendments to the law. Additionally, he objected to changes in the rules governing CCTV footage from polling stations.
Gandhi accused the Election Commission of enabling electoral malpractice, claiming that the Haryana elections were “stolen.” For meaningful reform, he demanded that a machine-readable voter list be shared with all political parties a month before polling and urged the government to reverse the law that allows destruction of CCTV footage.
He concluded by asserting that India is not only the world’s largest democracy but also its greatest. Gandhi warned that tampering with the vote is the “biggest anti-national act,” saying that “when you steal the vote, you destroy the very idea of India.” He accused the government of engaging in such acts by allegedly manipulating the electoral process.
