- 11 minutes ago
A heated debate erupted between the Congress and the BJP over the integrity of the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission of India. Congress leader Salman Soz demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, claiming that opposition parties have lost confidence in the election watchdog. Salman Soz argued, 'The Election Commission of India has become a tool of the BJP and the RSS', raising serious concerns over voter deletions across states and questioning whether statutory procedures were followed. In sharp rebuttal, BJP national spokesperson Dr. Ajay Alok defended the Election Commission, accusing the Congress of persistent whataboutism and hypocrisy. He stated that the ongoing electoral roll revisions, including the removal of deceased and shifted voters, were legitimate administrative cleanup exercises conducted under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court.
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NewsTranscript
00:00brings us to our big questions of the day.
00:02Has the CEC become an embarrassment for the Modi government?
00:06Will the Congress's CEC Hathau campaign really work on the ground?
00:10Is there merit in the Congress's charges against the CEC?
00:13Joining me now on our face-off, Salman Sos of the Congress
00:16and Dr. Ajay Alok, National Spokesperson of the BJP.
00:21To you, Ajay Alok first, Abhishek Banu Singh be very clear.
00:24CEC must go and he claims the CEC is merely a puppet in the hands of the BJP leadership,
00:32particularly he mentions Home Minister and the Prime Minister.
00:36Your response, how do you see the Congress's resolution today on Hathau Gyanesh Kumar?
00:45Well, Razdeep, I would like to say that Mr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi,
00:50he happens to be a very eminent and a good lawyer.
00:54But an eminent and a good lawyer doesn't change his statements.
00:57Like I was going through his statement, he claimed in 2018
01:01that more than 50 lakh voters are duplicate fraud across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
01:07and they should be deleted.
01:08An election commission must take an exercise.
01:11It was a press conference conducted at AICC.
01:14Now, today I am saying that he is protesting SR deletion and aberration
01:19and saying that CEC Gyanesh Kumar is a puppet.
01:22Right. So I don't know which Abhishek Manu Singhvi was correct then and now.
01:27And secondly, as far as keeping CEC as a puppet,
01:32no one knows better than the Congress.
01:33This is for sure.
01:36No one knows better than the Congress because we have seen the videos of Mr. T. N. Session,
01:41how he used to say that Rajiv Gandhi used to tell us,
01:43go and finalize the date of the elections.
01:46We have seen in 1991, post-Rajiv Gandhi death,
01:50that the whole general election was postponed for one month.
01:54The election was scheduled to happen on 20th, 22nd, 24th, if I am not mistaken.
01:58And it was taken up to June 2nd week, almost around 15th June,
02:01so that Congress could gain sympathy.
02:04We cannot see much more big puppet than Naveen Chawla,
02:08who was accused by his own chief election commissioner,
02:11who wrote a written letter to the president,
02:13that he works for the Congress, he is not fit to be in the post.
02:16But still, he was not even made chief election commissioner.
02:19We cannot even forget M.S. Gill,
02:22who after being election commissioner,
02:24he was given a post-nobet post of ministerial post
02:26in the one month in cabinet.
02:28So how to keep chief election commissioner as a puppet?
02:31This story is well known by the Congress,
02:35played by the Congress,
02:36and that's what they think that BJP is also doing.
02:38Sorry, sir, we are not in the same boat.
02:41We are not running the country like who you did.
02:43Isn't that whataboutry?
02:45You're giving the names of chief election commissioners,
02:48many of whom are not alive to defend themselves.
02:50The question is Gyanesh Kumarji.
02:52The question is the changes that have been sought to be brought in
02:56through the SIR exercise,
02:59many of which his own colleagues have called illegal and unauthorized.
03:02Focus on the individual.
03:03The lack of confidence and credibility of Gyanesh Kumar,
03:08does that not worry you?
03:09Should that not worry all of us,
03:10irrespective of our political inclinations?
03:13If the chief election commissioner finds himself
03:15in a situation where on a daily basis,
03:18he's being questioned by the opposition,
03:20what does that say about the health of our democracy?
03:25A public prosecutor must not leave the court
03:28because he's not being lied by the criminals.
03:32Law shouldn't be afraid if criminals are saying
03:34that this law is very tenacious,
03:36this law is very cruel and anything.
03:39That doesn't mean that a law shouldn't exist.
03:42Those who are blaming the chief election commissioner,
03:46where they are themselves,
03:48I would straight away like to ask where they are themselves.
03:51And who are you to question the credibility of the chief election commissioner,
03:55Gyanesh Kumar,
03:56when the whole matter of SIR is in front of the Supreme Court?
03:59Don't you think that you are questioning the credibility of honorable Supreme Court here?
04:03Because everything is under the scrutiny of Supreme Court.
04:06I really wonder why Mr. Abhishek Manu Sangweed fails to understand this.
04:10Where he himself went in front of the Supreme Court and argued for the SIR.
04:13He and the Supreme Court are both together.
04:15Sir, that's why the Supreme Court is hearing these matters.
04:17Lacks of people have gone in appeal.
04:19Lacks of people have gone in appeal,
04:21even as the Supreme Court is hearing the matter.
04:23Many of them were disenfranchised ahead of the West Bengal elections.
04:28Subsequently, 90% of them whose hearings have taken place so far
04:32have been found to be legitimate citizens.
04:34Does that not lead to questions being asked?
04:37Is the Congress as the principal opposition party
04:39not entitled to ask those questions?
04:40Now what figures Rajdeep, you are quoting,
04:46is still when the 91,000 hearing took place
04:48and out of that 91,000 hearing,
04:5183,000 got a nod that they will be re-franchised again.
04:54But till now, 1,500,000 hearing has taken place
04:57and only 1,400,000 have been allowed.
04:5946,000 have not been allowed.
05:01This is the current figure of yesterday.
05:04So update your facts.
05:06Still now, still now, more than 35 lakhs pending.
05:10So that 91% does not mean that,
05:13yes, everything was done wrongly.
05:15Secondly, if the election commission is saying
05:1713 crores voters were deleted,
05:20out of that 13 crores, almost 3 crores are dead.
05:23Why do you want their names to be on the electoral list?
05:26Out of that 7.93 crores,
05:28approximately 8 crores have shifted.
05:30Why do you want their names on the list?
05:331.7 crores names are not known where they have gone.
05:38In spite of all the effort by the local administration,
05:41they couldn't trace why you want those names
05:43to where they are on the list.
05:45This is the pertinent question.
05:47This kind of democracy you want?
05:50My dear friend, there is no loot today.
05:53There is no duplication today.
05:54There is no debt today.
05:56Let me take your pertinent question,
05:59Dr. Alok, let me take your pertinent question
06:01to Salman Sos.
06:02You see, Salman Sos,
06:03these figures that are doing the round,
06:0513 crores as of now,
06:07reportedly have not been put on the draft rolls.
06:1113 crore voters.
06:12And there are enough indications
06:14a number of them are dead
06:15or have shifted location.
06:17This is a clean-up exercise
06:18is what the election commission says.
06:20Y'all have now said not clean-up,
06:22it's vote chori.
06:23That's a very serious charge.
06:25Today, you've gone to a step further
06:27saying vote chori
06:28under the guidance of Prime Minister
06:29and the Home Minister.
06:31When the Congress is making such charges,
06:35should you now be a little circumspect
06:37because tomorrow if it turns out
06:39out of these 13 crores,
06:40majority of them either were dead
06:42or have shifted location,
06:43should you not wait till the final rolls
06:45before saying that this entire exercise
06:47is fraudulent?
06:50Rajdeep, the spokesperson
06:51of the election commission,
06:53or is it the BJP?
06:55I don't really know
06:56whether he's the spokesperson
06:57of the EC or the BJP,
07:00but he's made certain claims,
07:02so let me just address them head on.
07:04First of all,
07:05he said something to the effect
07:07that everything is happening
07:08under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court.
07:11Did the Supreme Court know
07:12that Form 6
07:14had been illegally altered?
07:18Illegally, and these words
07:20are of two election commissioners
07:23out of three.
07:25Did the Supreme Court know at that time?
07:27Was the Supreme Court told?
07:29No, they were not told.
07:31Two,
07:33the spokesperson
07:34of the election commission said
07:36that
07:39if the public prosecutor,
07:41if the criminals say
07:42the public prosecutor
07:43should be removed,
07:45why should he be removed?
07:47In this case,
07:48I think his analogy
07:49is absolutely wrong
07:50because I don't think
07:50he understands what it means.
07:52This is not,
07:54this is an umpire.
07:56That means you are
07:56the criminal of democracy.
07:58This is a referee.
07:59You are a proven criminal
08:00of democracy.
08:01I listen to you very patiently.
08:03Now you listen to me.
08:04Sir, Ajay Alok,
08:05you're calling me
08:05the spokesperson
08:06of election commission.
08:07Go ahead.
08:09Since you are calling me
08:10spokesperson of election commission,
08:12that shows how much
08:13derogatory you think
08:14about the democracy
08:15of this country.
08:16You see,
08:16when BJP people are caught,
08:18then they start...
08:19Start to the track.
08:19Okay, sir.
08:20Ajay Alok,
08:21Ajay Alok,
08:22your complaint,
08:22your objection
08:24has been registered.
08:25Your objection
08:25has been registered.
08:26Mic down.
08:27Go ahead, Salman Sos.
08:28I would suggest
08:29you call him
08:29spokesperson of the BJP.
08:31Let's be...
08:31You know,
08:32if you attack the BJP
08:36through the election commission,
08:37they will also oppose.
08:39Please go ahead, Salman Sos.
08:40Raji, please give me my time.
08:42As far as I'm concerned,
08:43there is no difference
08:44between the BJP
08:45and the election commission
08:46of India
08:47that we have today.
08:48I'm saying it
08:49on national television.
08:50That the election commission
08:51of India
08:51has become
08:52a tool
08:52of the BJP
08:54and the RSS.
08:55Now, let me talk about...
08:57You know,
08:57I was trying to explain to him
08:58because his analogy was wrong
08:59that we are talking
09:00about a referee.
09:02Now,
09:03when the principal
09:05opposition party
09:06and all opposition parties
09:08have lost trust
09:09in the chief election commissioner,
09:11any decent person
09:12would resign.
09:13And by the way,
09:15he said,
09:16what right do we have?
09:17Half the country
09:18voted for us.
09:20Half the country
09:21voted for us.
09:22We have every right
09:24to represent them.
09:25Now,
09:26let me also talk
09:27about the numbers
09:28because he talked about,
09:30shouldn't we remove
09:32dead people
09:33from the electoral rolls?
09:34Of course we should.
09:35Now, Rajiv,
09:36you know Maharashtra
09:37very well.
09:38Let me remind people
09:41about Maharashtra.
09:43Between the Lok Sabha election
09:44of 2024
09:45to the assembly election
09:46of 2024,
09:4740.5 lakh voters
09:50were added
09:50within four and a half months
09:52to the electoral rolls.
09:53One and a half years later now,
09:56two crowd voters
09:57have been removed.
09:5975 lakh of them,
10:01roughly,
10:01have been removed
10:03because they moved.
10:0475 lakh voters
10:06they cannot find,
10:07and 40 lakh voters
10:09are dead,
10:10and there are about
10:1110 lakh or 20 lakh
10:12other voters
10:13they cannot find.
10:15Please tell me, Rajiv,
10:17how is this possible?
10:19What kind of joke
10:20do these people think
10:22that are playing
10:23with the people
10:23of this country?
10:24Do they think
10:24we are stupid?
10:26Does the election commission
10:27think we are stupid?
10:29Does the RSS and the BDP,
10:30do they think we are stupid?
10:31Do they think
10:32that the people
10:32of this country
10:33are stupid?
10:35They are making
10:36the weakest among us,
10:38they're making them
10:39stand in queues
10:40and saying,
10:41you prove that
10:42you're Indian,
10:43you prove that
10:43you're a voter.
10:44That is not,
10:45that is not
10:46how things were
10:47in India.
10:48We had an inclusive system.
10:50That was the mandate
10:51of the election
10:52commission of India.
10:5313.5 crore,
10:5513.3 crore voters?
10:57Is that a joke?
10:58That is the population
10:59of Bangladesh almost.
11:02They have to be
11:03held accountable.
11:04The chief election
11:05commissioner,
11:05I am saying,
11:06I am saying
11:07on national television
11:07today,
11:08to Mr. Kadesh Kumar,
11:10please sir,
11:11have some decency,
11:12you have to resign.
11:13We don't trust you,
11:15the opposition
11:15does not trust you,
11:16how can you stay
11:17in your position?
11:19And by the way,
11:20he's not obviously
11:20doing it on his own,
11:22this is the prime minister
11:23and the prime minister,
11:24they're responsible
11:25and they have to be
11:26held accountable.
11:30Okay,
11:31I've heard you now,
11:32I've heard you,
11:32I gave you your time.
11:33Ajay Alok,
11:34let me give you
11:34a final word
11:35because the word
11:36trust deficit
11:36is being used.
11:37Democracy is built
11:38on trust,
11:39sir.
11:40There should be trust
11:40between constitutional
11:41function,
11:42there should be trust
11:43between the people
11:43and the election commission.
11:46That trust somewhere
11:47has gone,
11:48it appears.
11:49Do you concede
11:50that Gyanesh Kumar
11:52in particular,
11:53given some of the
11:55statements that his own
11:56election commissioners
11:57made about him
11:58on notes,
11:59about actions being
12:00taken that were
12:01illegal and
12:02unauthorized,
12:03that Gyanesh Kumar
12:04needs to do much more
12:05and if that involves
12:06stepping aside
12:07till there is a full
12:08inquiry possibly,
12:10would you,
12:11would you support
12:12that or not?
12:13Do you concede
12:13that there is this
12:14trust deficit
12:15or do you believe
12:16it's only the
12:16Congress Party
12:17which is raising it?
12:22Well, Razeev,
12:23it's very clear,
12:24right from 2016
12:25onward,
12:26the whole opposition,
12:28my,
12:29we shouldn't call
12:30whole opposition,
12:31the Congress Party
12:32never had trust
12:33in the system.
12:34They always kept on
12:34believing anti-incumbency.
12:36Hum apne aap aajayenge.
12:38That's what they believed
12:39in 2019
12:40when they started
12:41Rafael, Rafael,
12:41hum apne aap aajayenge.
12:43Modi ko log dandes
12:45after Nodbandi and GST,
12:46hum apne aap aajayenge.
12:48The similar thing
12:48they thought about
12:4924, hum apne aap aajayenge.
12:52The time is gone.
12:54Your trust deficiency
12:55doesn't mean
12:56that the nation
12:57has lost trust.
12:58The repeated,
12:59the way the nation
13:00is progressing,
13:01that shows
13:01the nation has trust.
13:03And what my friend
13:04was saying,
13:05do you think
13:05we are fools?
13:06Do you think
13:07we are fools?
13:07Do you think
13:08we are fools?
13:09Brother,
13:10I am no one
13:10to think
13:11you are fools.
13:12You are under
13:13the captaincy
13:13of Rahul Gandhi.
13:14That is more than enough.
13:15Why will she
13:16will think
13:17that you are fools?
13:18Be under the captaincy
13:19and leadership
13:20of the great Rahul Gandhi.
13:21I don't call you fool.
13:23I call you
13:23super intelligent.
13:24Durlap praniya.
13:26Durlap.
13:27Rare to find.
13:29I mean,
13:30come on.
13:30This is 1.4,
13:321.5 billion people
13:33this country is off.
13:34You know, but...
13:35And right now
13:35we are having
13:36the trust of 70%
13:37people of India.
13:38And in the whole
13:39history of Congress Party,
13:40you have never
13:40been able to get
13:42more than 48%.
13:43And that too in 1957,
13:45when the whole
13:45electoral composition
13:46was only 21 crores.
13:48Today we are
13:4897 crore electorate.
13:50And we are securing
13:51almost 39% of the mandate.
13:53Where are you?
13:54Sir, the fact...
13:55I will, I will, I will.
13:56Can I respond?
13:59Sir, sir,
14:00I will give...
14:01Okay, I've heard you, Ajay.
14:02Let me give...
14:03Salman, so as you see,
14:04it's a point I made
14:05to Abhishek Manu Singh.
14:06You're blaming everyone else.
14:08The fact is,
14:09over a period of 12 years,
14:10the BJP has won
14:11more elections
14:12than they've lost.
14:13It's not as if
14:14they haven't lost elections.
14:15They've lost in
14:16Chhattisgarh,
14:18Rajasthan,
14:18Madhya Pradesh 2018.
14:19At the end of the day,
14:21voters...
14:22Are you saying
14:22all these elections,
14:24all the polls
14:24that show Mr. Modi
14:25as the number one leader,
14:26all of them
14:27have been falsified,
14:28all of them
14:29are part of this
14:30vote chori?
14:31Will you ever look
14:31inwards
14:32a quick response?
14:35Rajseep, I think
14:36you're under some
14:36false impression
14:37that we've not
14:38been looking inwards.
14:39In fact,
14:39I think just recently,
14:41there was a major
14:42newspaper report,
14:44maybe you should read it,
14:45in the Hindu, actually,
14:46which is a very
14:46reputable newspaper,
14:48talks about
14:48all the organizational
14:49changes that are
14:50happening in the
14:50Congress Party.
14:51Yesterday, yesterday,
14:53we had 800 to 900
14:55events in the country,
14:57800 to 900 events
14:59in the country
15:00opposing what is
15:01happening,
15:01because we are
15:02going to resist
15:03what the RSS and the
15:04BJP are doing
15:05to our democracy.
15:06So I urge you,
15:08Rajseep, that you
15:08should do a little
15:09bit more.
15:10I know you're busy
15:11with television here,
15:12but you should be
15:12on the ground,
15:13just like our workers
15:14are on the ground
15:14right now,
15:15from Kashmir to
15:16Kanyakumari,
15:17from the west
15:18to the east.
15:19So let me just
15:21say one thing.
15:21You know, Ajay ji
15:23was saying something
15:24about our leader,
15:25Rahul Gandhi.
15:26Let me just say this.
15:28Our leader,
15:29Rahul Gandhi,
15:30did not preside
15:31over a government
15:32that has basically
15:34delivered 0% real
15:37wage growth in this
15:39country for the last
15:4012 years.
15:410%.
15:42Our leader,
15:43Rahul Gandhi,
15:44did not preside
15:46over a stock market
15:48that in the last
15:48two years,
15:49since the Prime
15:50Minister said that
15:50everybody should be
15:51buying stocks,
15:52has returned 0%.
15:530% for the investors
15:56in this country.
15:56So I urge you
15:59people to
16:00introspect because
16:01this is the same
16:02Prime Minister who
16:04when he contested
16:05in Varanasi in
16:052024,
16:06almost lost his
16:07seat.
16:09His victory margin
16:10came down from
16:115 lakh votes to
16:121,50,000 votes,
16:14and some people say
16:15that he was trailing
16:16in that seat.
16:17Okay?
16:18So we don't need
16:19any gyan from you,
16:20friends of Mr.
16:21Gyanesh Kumar.
16:22We don't need any
16:23gyan from you.
16:24The people of the
16:25country want
16:27accountability.
16:28I've heard both
16:28sides.
16:29I've given you,
16:30I've given both
16:31sides,
16:32I've given both
16:33sides equal time
16:34on this face-off.
16:35Ajay Alok and
16:38Salman Sos for
16:39powerfully defending
16:40your respective
16:41sides.
16:41I appreciate you
16:42for your time.
16:43Thank you very much.