New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS) Congress leader Udit Raj said on Sunday that if the SIR rules state that a person’s father or grandfather must be on the 2002 voter list and only then can they become a voter after turning 18, then no one will be able to become an eligible voter.
Speaking to IANS on the ongoing controversy around the SIR process and the Election Commission, Raj said, Congress is fighting with all its might to protect constitutional institutions.
Stressing the alleged discrepancies in the Form-6, he said, “’SIR’ is nowhere, so this is wrong. The change in Form-6 says that the voter’s father or grandfather should be present in the 2002 voter list, and only then will one become a voter after turning 18. At this rate, no one would be able to become a voter at all.”
Udit Raj said, “Form-6 is the main issue itself. There is a rule from 1960, and it cannot be changed. To become a voter, only three conditions are required — one must be 18 years of age, have a domicile of six months, and be eligible. SIR is nowhere.”
He questioned where the SIR came from, if it was not present in the 1950 or 1960 rule? Continuing that there were no changes in the hard copy of Form 6, so how could changes be made to the online version of Form 6?
“Seema Khanna should also be sent to jail,” he said, adding, “she has compromised with them too.”
According to Udit Raj, the only discrepancy was in the online copy of Form 6; that was the only point of conflict that no one can make changes in it.
“Sandhu wrote it; the other commissioner, Vivek Joshi, wrote about it. When was that clarified?” he said.
Speaking on the proposed INDIA bloc meeting on September 30, Udit Raj said, “If we don’t hold a meeting now, then when will we? And I feel that the need for the regional parties is much greater. Because they have already finished off the regional parties; for example, there are TMC, Akali Dal, Shiv Sena, NCP, and YSR Congress. They will be erased too, with SIR.”
He said that the regional parties have more responsibility than the Opposition. Raj said that it was not just Rahul Gandhi’s responsibility to ask questions. He said that the regional parties should also come out on the streets.
“This fight can no longer be fought inside Parliament. It can only be fought on the streets now,” he said.
Earlier, BJP national spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra on Wednesday launched a strong defence of the Election Commission of India (ECI), saying internal deliberations among Election Commissioners should not be portrayed as a sign of discord but as part of a functioning democratic institution.
Reacting to the controversy surrounding the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Patra questioned the Opposition’s repeated allegations against the poll panel and said the final authority in a democracy rests with the people.
–IANS
sud/mr
