Bandi Sanjay defends ECI, questions Congress’ morality

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Saturday criticised the Congress for targeting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the party of politicising the Election Commission of India (ECI) and questioning its credibility whenever electoral results went against it.

He demanded that the Congress explain its electoral defeats instead of repeatedly questioning the credibility of the ECI.

At a press conference at the party office here on Saturday, Mr. Sanjay Kumar alleged that the Congress had a history of rewarding former Election Commissioners with political positions and had no moral right to question the constitutional institution's independence.

Referring to past appointments, he said former Chief Election Commissioner R.K. Trivedi, who served from 1982 to 1985, was subsequently appointed Governor of Gujarat during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure. He also cited the appointment of former Election Commissioner V.S. Ramadevi as Governor of Himachal Pradesh and the Congress’s decision to field former CEC T.N. Seshan from Gandhinagar in the 1999 Lok Sabha election.

Mr. Sanjay further pointed to former CEC M.S. Gill, who later joined the Congress, became a Rajya Sabha member from Punjab and served as a Union Minister during the UPA government. He also raised allegations concerning the allocation of MPLADS funds by Congress MPs to trusts associated with former CEC Navin Chawla.

Questioning the Congress’s criticism of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, he said the Congress had won elections in Telangana and Karnataka under the supervision of the ECI but continued to raise doubts about the institution whenever it suffered electoral defeats.

Mr. Sanjay also accused the Congress of joining hands with individuals and organisations allegedly associated with foreign-funded networks and questioned whether the party was acting in the country’s interests.