The ongoing war of words between the Election Commission of India and the Congress took a major hitting point after the latter on Friday (November 1) took a major dig at the poll body over their response to its allegations of irregularities in Haryana assembly elections as ‘baseless’.
Citing that the ECI has given itself a clean chit with its reply, the Congress party said normally they would let it be at that; however, the language the poll body has used against the party compels them to submit the counter-response.
“Not surprisingly, the ECI has given a clean chit to yourself. We would normally have let it be at that. However, the tone and tenor of the ECI’s response, the language used, and the allegations made against the INC compel us to submit the counter-response,” the party said.
It is pertinent to note that earlier, the Congress Party raised allegations of irregularities in the recent Haryana elections. They have also raised concerns over the display of a 99 per cent battery status on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the counting process. However, the poll body refuted all the allegations by the party while labelling it as ‘baseless, misplaced, and devoid of facts’.
‘If ECI’s goal is to strip itself of neutrality, it is doing a remarkable job’
While the reply by the ECI was hailed by the BJP, the Congress party, however, on Friday sharpened its attack. The Kharge-led party said that the poll body’s replies seem to “be laced with ad-hominem attacks on either individual leaders or the party itself.”
“The INC’s communications confine themselves to issues and are written with regard for the high office of the CEC and his brother Commissioners. This can be verified from the INC’s representations, which are in the public domain. However, the ECI’s reply is written in a condescending tone. If the current ECI’s goal is to strip itself of the last vestiges of neutrality, then it is doing a remarkable job at creating that impression,” the party said.
“Judges who write decisions do not attack or demonize the party raising the issues. However, if the ECI persists, then we shall have no choice but to seek legal recourse to expunge such remarks,” it added.
Significantly, the Congress party in its statement also mentioned that they are not surprised how the ECI has examined their complaints and given itself a clean chit. They mentioned the poll body’s reply to the question of the machines’ fluctuating batteries seeks to confuse rather than clarify. “At any rate, the ECI reply is nothing more than a standard and generic set of bullets on how the machines function rather than a specific clarification on specific complaints. In short, while our complaints were specific, the ECI response is generic and focused on diminishing the complaints and the petitioners,” the party added.