After the completion of multiple elections and byelections in India, the focus has now been shifted to Congress leader and LoP Rahul Gandhi. In the past few months, Rahul Gandhi has intensified his attacks on the Election Commission of India accusing the body of being biased and dropping allegations like 'Vote Chori'.
A group of 272 'eminent citizens' comprising former judges and ambassadors, retired bureaucrats, IPS officers and Armed Forces veterans, have come down heavily on the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi over repeated targeting and tarnishing of the constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The group of eminent citizens in an open letter on Wednesday expressed grave concern over several instances of Congress leaders 'belittling and demeaning' the highest democratic institutions, including the Armed Forces, Judiciary, Parliament and now the Election Commission of India.
Among the 272 'eminent citizens' multiple are also from Punjab.
Former Punjab DGP PC Dogra, Former DGP AP Pandey, Former DGP Anil Kumar Sharma, Former Punjab Secretary IB Goyal.
Former Punjab DGP PC Dogra is said to be father-in-law of current Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav.
The eminent citizens in their open letter said that the Leader of Opposition, along with Left allies, are resorting to rhetoric for defaming the Election Commission, rather than taking a legal route and lodging a complaint, in case of any irregularity.
“The LoP has repeatedly attacked the Election Commission, declaring that he has open and shut proof that it is involved in vote theft and claims to have 100 per cent proof of wrongdoing. Using unbelievably uncouth rhetoric that what he has found is an atom bomb and when it explodes, the EC would have no place to hide. He has also issued threats that whoever in the Elections Commission is involved in this exercise, right from top to bottom, he will not spare them. According to him, ECI is indulging in treason,” the letter said.
The letter issued by Justice S.N. Dhingra, former Delhi High Court Judge, and Nirmal Kaur, IPS, former Jharkhand DGP, has about 272 signatories, which include former judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, ex-envoys, former bureaucrats and a score of Armed Forces veterans.
Showing a mirror to the political parties, particularly Congress, over cribbing and complaining in the wake of electoral losses, it said, “When political leaders lose touch with the aspirations of ordinary citizens, they lash out at institutions instead of rebuilding their credibility. Theatrics replace analysis. Public spectacle takes the place of public service.”
The letter called out the selective outrage of the parties in case of electoral setbacks and said this exposes their opportunism.
It said that when the election results are in favour of Opposition parties, they find it fair and upright, but when the results are unfavourable, the poll panel becomes a villain in their narrative.
Read Letter in detail below-