NEW DELHI, SEPT 29: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge declared on Tuesday that safeguarding democratic principles remains the fundamental duty of the party, drawing parallels to its historic role during the independence movement. Speaking at the Congress Working Committee meeting, he maintained that statutory institutions established by the nation’s founding leaders have seen their credibility eroded over the past decade. Expressing concern over the internal functioning and overall public trust in the Election Commission, he stated that the Chief Election Commissioner should step down and asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ought to resign on moral grounds.
The discussion highlighted concerns regarding electoral roll updates, specifically referencing Special Intensive Revision operations and administrative changes to voter enrolment forms. Mallikarjun Kharge affirmed the validity of data and documentation brought forward by Rahul Gandhi regarding voter lists in Maharashtra, Haryana, Mahadevapura, and Aland. He stated that the vote serves as the vital equalizing tool for less privileged sections of society, emphasizing that administrative procedures must never exclude eligible citizens from exercising their franchise.
To address these concerns, the Congress leadership presented a set of foundational requirements for the electoral process. These include making all substantial revisions to voter data public, establishing a formal notification and appeal channel for affected individuals, sharing roll data promptly with political organizations, instituting time-bound inquiries into reported discrepancies, and enforcing total operational transparency. Reaffirming that governments may change while constitutional principles endure, he affirmed that the party will sustain its nationwide efforts to safeguard voting rights.
