'Citing past discussions': Congress slams govt for avoiding debate on ECI in Parliament

New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) Congress Whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore on Saturday accused the government of running away from a discussion on the functioning of the Election Commission of India in Parliament, claiming that it is not a forbidden topic.

Tagore, an MP for Virudhunagar, took to X and said, “Why is Honourable Parliamentary Affairs Minister @KirenRijiju afraid to allow a discussion on the functioning of the Election Commission in Parliament?”

Citing previous instances of matters related to elections and the ECI featuring in parliamentary debates, he said, “This isn’t new, Parliament has discussed ECI’s conduct and electoral reforms dozens of times over decades.”

In his post, he also attached a long list of parliamentary discussions undertaken on the ECI and electoral matters.

“Let’s look at history. In Rajya Sabha, debates on ECI & electoral reforms date back to 1957, covering: Annulment of election rules; Rescheduling & postponement of polls; Electoral reforms discussions in 1970, 1981, 1986, 1991, 2015 and Use of money power & urgent need to amend laws,” said Tagore.

The Congress MP also listed the occasions on which Lok Sabha MPs raised issues, including: Electoral reforms (1981, 1983, 1986, 1990, 1995,2005); Postponement of elections in Bihar and Tripura; Photo ID card issuance and Rigging investigations and foreign money allegations.

Tagore accused Rijiju of trying to hide something from people and said, “Democracy dies in darkness. If Parliament cannot discuss the body that conducts our elections, then where will accountability live?... If the past governments allowed these debates without fear, why not you?”

The Congress MP supported the Opposition parties’ demand for a discussion on Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Parliament, saying, “Even powerful CEC decisions like postponing elections in 1993 were debated openly in both Houses. Governments of the past didn’t hide. They faced Parliament. They answered.”

“From money power in elections (1978) to proxy voting for NRIs (2015), Parliament has been the forum to hold ECI accountable. So why is the Modi Govt suddenly allergic to discussion?” said Tagore in his post on X.

He also hit out at the government for wasting 13 straight days of Parliament while “avoiding a debate on Bihar’s voter list fraud (SIR)”.

--IANS

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