New Delhi: Congress leader, P Chidambaram, Thursday took exception to BJP chief Nitin Nabin’s ‘anarchist’ charge against the Opposition over their spirited protests against the Election Commission’s ‘unilateral and biased’ decisions and asked that if there was not any merit in their claims, why was the poll body forced to hold special camps to “re-enrol the left-out names” in the voters’ list.
Chidambaram, while accusing the BJP of defending the indefensible, said the widespread demonstrations by the Congress and other Opposition parties, also joined by student groups and civil society activists, forced the election body to speak out and also “acknowledge the internal dissent” that prevailed within while ‘bypassing’ the established protocols during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
BJP President Nitin Nabin, speaking in Varanasi during the conclusion of the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, alleged that Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi was fighting for the ‘ghuspaithiyas (infiltrators)’ and accused the Opposition of working with an ‘anarchist mindset’ to spread confusion among the people.
“These are people with an anarchist mindset, who know only how to spread poison in society. It was this EC which conducted elections in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where they came to power. If he has the courage, Rahul Gandhi should first resign,” Nabin said.
“The public is watching the game he is playing. This Leader of Opposition is engaged in shielding infiltrators,” Nabin claimed.
“If the names of those ‘ghuspaithiyas’ are deleted through the SIR and you raise questions on the country’s democracy for that, the biggest question would be on you. People of the country will give befitting reply to the anarchist mindset,” the BJP chief added.
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Responding sharply to the ‘ghuspathiyas’ claim, Chidambaram asked, “If those names that were deleted from the electoral rolls are those of ‘infiltrators’, why is the ECI holding special camps to re-enrol the ‘left out’ names?”
“The protests by the Congress, INDIA Bloc parties and other youth and student groups have made the state CEOs speak out, ask questions of the ECI, and hold special camps to re-enrol the ‘left out’ voters,” he added.
Pointed to the EC’s admission of “dissent within”, referring to two Election Commissioners flagging their concerns, he said that grave injustice was done to the genuine citizens and added that the BJP was “defending the impossible”.
