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New Delhi, Nov 19 (IANS) A group of 272 eminent citizens, including former judges and ambassadors, retired bureaucrats and armed forces veterans, have come down heavily on the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi for repeatedly targeting and maligning constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The eminent citizens’ group, in an open letter on Wednesday, expressed grave concern over several incidents of Congress leaders ‘weakening and humiliating’ the supreme democratic institutions, including the armed forces, the judiciary, the Parliament and now the Election Commission of India.
He said that the opposition leaders, along with their Left allies, are resorting to rhetoric to defame the Election Commission instead of taking the legal route and filing complaints in case of any irregularity.
“The LOP has repeatedly attacked the Electoral Commission, declaring that they have open and closed evidence that it is involved in vote theft and claiming to have 100 percent proof of wrongdoing. Using incredibly crude rhetoric that what they have found is a nuclear bomb and when it explodes, the Electoral Commission will have no place to hide. They have also issued threats that whoever is involved in this practice, from top to bottom in the Electoral Commission, He will not spare them. According to him, the ECI is engaged in treason,” the letter said.
The letter issued by former Delhi High Court judge Justice SN Dhingra and former Jharkhand DGP Nirmal Kaur, IPS, has about 272 signatories, including former judges of the Supreme Court and high courts, former ambassadors, former bureaucrats and several veterans of the armed forces.
Mirroring political parties, especially the Congress, for criticizing and complaining after election defeats, it said, “When political leaders lose touch with the aspirations of ordinary citizens, they attack institutions instead of rebuilding their credibility. Theatrics replace analysis. Public spectacle replaces public service.”
The letter highlighted the parties’ selective anger in the face of electoral failures and said it exposed their opportunism.
It said that when the election results are in favor of the opposition parties, they find it fair and honest, but when the results are unfavourable, the Election Commission becomes the villain in their narrative.
Eminent citizens rallying in support of the Election Commission said it should continue its path of transparency and rigor, adding that the sanctity of the electoral roll is not a partisan issue; Rather, it is a national imperative.
It added, “We call on the Election Commission to continue its path of transparency and rigor. Publish complete data, defend itself through legal channels when necessary and reject politics of framing as a victim.”
Civil society also called on political leaders to respect the constitutional process and accept democratic decisions graciously, while reaffirming its unwavering faith in various constitutional institutions and their integrity, which has recently come under attack from the opposition, including the Indian Armed Forces, the Indian Judiciary and Executive, and especially the Election Commission.
–IANS
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