EC has not done justice to Bihar voters: D K Shivakumar on votes deleted during SIR
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar Monday alleged the Election Commission has not done justice to the Bihar electorate as it has deleted a large number of poor voters and those seeking jobs outside the state from the electoral rolls.
He claimed the EC was conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls after admitting that "something wrong" was committed by "misusing its office".
Shivakumar was here to present the 1.12 crore signatures collected from across Karnataka as part of the Congress' "Vote chor, gaddi chhod" campaign.
"The Election Commission has not given justice to Bihar voters," he claimed, alleging that the votes of the poor and those migrating outside Bihar in search of jobs were deleted on a large scale during the SIR exercise.
Shivakumar, however, did not answer any queries on whether he raised the issue of the change of chief ministership in Karnataka with the party high command. "I am not here to speak on politics. I am here to save democracy, to save votes. I don't want to give any political answer," he said.
Shivakumar said he was in the national capital as the president of the Karnataka Congress and not as the deputy chief minister, as it was his responsibility to ensure that democracy is saved and the votes of the poor are not deleted.
"One man, one vote should be ensured and irregularities should be removed," he said.
"We know that the Constitution and autonomy of institutions are being misused. We are urging them to give us justice; injustice should not flow from the seat of justice. We are trying to educate the entire country."
Shivakumar asserted that "vote theft" did happen and those responsible should quit office. "I hope good days are coming," he said.
The senior Congress leader alleged that after the SIR announcement, there have been several cases of the deletion of votes. He thanked the Supreme Court for giving direction on this issue.
Shivakumar said since Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge took up a major investigation into "vote chori" at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, the party has collected 1,12,41,000 signatures from across Karnataka.
"I am very happy that the Congress formed a research team which worked very hard and found out the irregularities in the voter list. Our leaders gave a call to inform all voters and educate them on 'vote chori'" he said.
"I am happy that after Karnataka, this has reached Maharashtra, Bihar and Haryana," he noted while thanking party workers at all levels for working hard to get the signatures. "We are presenting all of them to the AICC, which will hold a massive gathering in Delhi in the coming days."
Shivakumar went on to say that "as a member of the political party which gave us freedom, our national anthem, national flag and our Constitution, it is our duty to protect this country and all of us must join hands to ensure that every vote is saved and democracy is saved."
Asked if he was happy that the SIR is being conducted by EC after the Congress' "vote chori" charges, he said, "Of course, they have come to know that they have done something wrong. They admitted that they had done something wrong. That itself is a very strong message that misuse of office has taken place."
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India moving towards becoming global economic powerhouse: Kovind
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Amritsar (PTI): Former president Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said that with digital transformation, economic reforms and a strong focus on the ease of doing business, India is moving towards becoming a global economic powerhouse.
He was speaking after inaugurating the 19th edition of the Punjab International Trade Expo (PITEX) in Amritsar.
The former president said that this 19th edition of PITEX is being organised at a time when India is recognised as one of the fastest-growing large economies in the world.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the event organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) the former president, while referring to Punjab, said the state is a living example of courage, sacrifice and enterprise.
"The spiritual light of Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) inspires peace and humanity across the world. The heritage of Punjab is deep and inspiring," Kovind said, according to a statement issued by the PITEX.
The former president congratulated the PHDCCI for hosting the 19th edition of PITEX and suggested that the chamber should expand PITEX outside Punjab.
He proposed that a similar event should also be held in New Delhi.
