BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi backed the SC's ruling on electoral roll revision in Bihar. He said the verdict exposed the INDIA bloc's 'true character' and termed it a 'constitutional defeat' for the opposition, including Congress and Rahul Gandhi.
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi on Wednesday backed the Supreme Court's ruling on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls conducted by the Election Commission of India in Bihar, claiming that the verdict had exposed the "true character" of the INDIA bloc.
SC Upholds ECI's Authority
Addressing a press briefing in the national capital, Trivedi said the apex court had clarified that the SIR exercise was essential for ensuring free and fair elections and was within the constitutional jurisdiction of the Election Commission. "The Court has further clarified that in order to ensure free and fair elections, this exercise was absolutely essential... In recent years, names have been added to and deleted from the electoral rolls on a massive scale due to factors such as urbanisation, migration, duplication, and the influx of new residents," said the BJP MP.
He further stated that the Supreme Court had upheld the exercise as constitutionally valid and necessary for transparent elections. "The Supreme Court has upheld this exercise as constitutionally valid, affirmed it as falling within the authority of the Election Commission, and deemed it indispensable for the conduct of free and transparent elections. The true character of the INDIA alliance, which acts as a destroyer of Sanatan Dharma and a protector of infiltrators, has today been fully exposed," said Sudhanshu Trivedi.
'Constitutional Defeat' for Opposition
Trivedi also termed the opposition's stance on the issue as a "constitutional defeat" after what he described as its "moral defeat" in Bihar and West Bengal elections. "After a decisive and massive defeat in Bihar and West Bengal and after their (Congress) nefarious design to instigate anarchy in the country and getting no response, it was a moral defeat. Now, on the floor of the Supreme Court, there is a complete rejection of their plea on SIR. This can be termed as the constitutional defeat," he said.
He further targeted the Congress party and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, saying the verdict reflected the opposition's "political, constitutional and moral defeat." "After this judgment of the Supreme Court, the complete defeat of the opposition, the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi in particular, has been summarised as political, constitutional, and moral defeat," added Trivedi.
Trivedi Alleges Foreign Links, Tells Opposition to Introspect
Targeting the Congress and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Trivedi alleged that the opposition should introspect instead of blaming constitutional institutions. He also claimed that Congress' political and ideological associations were linked to foreign interests, and the opposition was attempting to shift blame for electoral defeats onto the Election Commission. "Today, the opposition parties in particular, the Congress, have their agreements rooted in China, their family ties in Italy, their ideological centre in England, their hub for malicious propaganda within American institutions, and their voter base linked to Bangladesh... The facade concealing their true character has now fallen away, and their entire reality stands completely exposed before the public," said Trivedi.
"How many rallies did they hold during the Bihar polls?... When defeat struck, you shifted the entire blame onto the Election Commission. I would like to tell the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi that they ought to engage in introspection," he added.
Supreme Court's Verdict on SIR
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which was first undertaken in Bihar, holding that the exercise is constitutional, legally tenable and cannot be struck down merely because it differs from the ordinary process of voter-roll revision.
A bench of Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi held that the SIR exercise cannot be declared 'ultra vires' solely on the ground that it adopts a process distinct from the routine revision of electoral rolls contemplated under the statutory framework. Terming the exercise a "legitimate and constitutional" one, the Court observed that "the exercise is legally tenable" and is aimed at restoring the accuracy and purity of electoral rolls.
The Court further clarified that the ECI's powers in the process remain limited to determining eligibility for inclusion in electoral rolls and do not extend to ascertaining citizenship status. It held that the deletion of a person's name from the voter list does not divest that individual of citizenship, since citizenship can only be determined by the competent authority under law. (ANI)
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