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EC row over SIR intensifies as opposition protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, while former poll chiefs differ over decision-making.
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00:00Good evening, you're watching NewsTrack with me, Maria Shakil, as EC vs. EC Rift report.
00:07And the entire chaos has started.
00:11The India bloc is now going all out to seek the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner
00:16Yanesh Kumar after a media report alleged a rift among Election Commission members over the SIR process.
00:23Hours after Rahul Gandhi attacked the CEC, calling him anti-national,
00:27the Congress took today, took the fight to the streets from Delhi, Guwahati, to Lucknow, Patna, Bhopal, Bengaluru, Chandigarh and
00:37Dehradun.
00:38Congress workers took to the streets across the country demanding accountability and the removal of Yanesh Kumar.
00:44The RJD announced separate protests across Bihar.
00:48The Kokoro Janta Party has already issued an ultimatum demanding the CEC's removal.
00:53It has said that if Yanesh Kumar doesn't resign, it will launch a nationwide protest beginning in Mumbai on October
01:022nd.
01:02From the impeachment push to the Supreme Court petition and now from Parliament to the streets,
01:08the battle over Yanesh Kumar is escalating.
01:10The Election Commission and the CEC in particular now faces serious questions over the allegations surrounding the SIR process
01:17because in a democracy like ours, elections can't turn into a circus.
01:24Before I bring in former CEC's on the show, here's a look at what unfolded today.
01:41The India bloc has upped the ante against Chief Election Commissioner Yanesh Kumar
01:45following explosive claims made in a series of media reports.
01:49A strategy is being drawn up for sunset.
01:51But before taking the battle to Parliament, the opposition has taken it to the Sadak.
01:56Congress workers across the country hit the streets against Yanesh Kumar, demanding his removal and arrest.
02:03The protests spread across the country with Congress workers taking to the streets in Delhi, Bengaluru, Jammu, Lucknow and Chandigarh.
02:11Protests were also held in Gauhati, Bhopal and Shimla as the Congress took its fight against Yanesh Kumar to the
02:17streets.
02:17They marched towards Election Commission offices, raised slogans, burnt effigies and confronted the police.
02:24On the streets in the national capital seeking action against Chief Election Commissioner Yanesh Kumar
02:30and all these youth Congress Karakartas at mass from the IYC headquarters and were heading towards the Jantar Mantar Road,
02:40but they have been stopped by Delhi police.
02:42Well, here in Kolkata, right outside the Calcutta University, Congress workers have gathered.
02:46You can see in large numbers because a protest call has been given across the country demanding the arrest of
02:53Gyanesh Kumar.
02:54You can see with posters and placards in their hand, they are saying, we demand the immediate arrest of CEC's
02:59Shri Gyanesh Kumar.
03:00As the Election Commission has come under the scanner, today the Punjab Congress is holding a vociferous protest against the
03:06Election Commission,
03:07especially the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar.
03:10And here you can see the affigee of Gyanesh Kumar is also being burnt by the Congress workers.
03:16They want to march towards the Election Commission office in Chandigarh.
03:19Yes, President Gyanesh Kumar!
03:22The protest came after the Congress called for nationwide demonstrations demanding action against Gyanesh Kumar.
03:28Now it is very clear, 13 crore voters have been deleted.
03:32This is a lame excuse and the BJP should stop making lame excuses.
03:37If they are meddling with our elections and if their leadership is making the Election Commission do this,
03:45then it is an act of treason and they should be aware of it.
03:48India Bloc allies TMC and RJD also protested, but separately.
03:53Several other partners like the JMM, TVK, National Conference have chosen to stay await altogether.
03:59But simultaneously, the opposition is preparing for a legal fight as well.
04:04A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the CEC.
04:09The petition challenges decisions linked to the special intensive revision of electoral rolls and seeks the declaration as illegal.
04:16It also seeks criminal prosecution of Gyanesh Kumar and other officials,
04:20an independent probe into the electoral roll exercise and the restoration of the original statutory form 6.
04:26But the BJP has launched a sharp counter-offensive,
04:29insisting that Gyanesh Kumar deserves the Padma Bhushan for removing Bangladesh infiltrators from the electoral process.
04:59The streets, the sunset and the Supreme Court.
05:01The political showdown over Gyanesh Kumar is far from over.
05:06With Amit Bhardwaj, Aseem Bassi and Indrajit Kundu,
05:09Bureau Report, India Today.
05:12And joining me on the show right now is former CEC OP Rawat.
05:16Mr Rawat, I appreciate your time.
05:17Of course, these protests are happening.
05:19There is an ultimatum that has been given by the Kokoro Janta Party as well.
05:23Help us understand as someone who has been at the chair,
05:26knows the functioning of the Chief of the Election Commission,
05:29has this episode damaged the reputation and the very idea of free and fair election that Election Commission stands for?
05:38Actually, any such episode, if it is allowed to simmer and linger,
05:44then it definitely affects the reputation of Election Commission,
05:48which has been built in the last 75-76 years.
05:52Otherwise, if the Election Commission, all three of them together,
05:57they come out and open and address the media and give to the public all the details
06:02and show the solidarity and unity, nothing will happen.
06:08You know, the idea is that there has been difference of opinion,
06:13that on 14 occasions, in 10 months, two election commissioners of three differed.
06:20You have said on my shows over the last few days that difference of opinion is natural.
06:25But the difference of opinion here in this case is happening at a time when the SIR exercise is underway
06:33and the SIR exercise has already been under this entire cloud of suspicion.
06:39Questions have been raised and this is also to do with voter deletion.
06:44Cases filed in the Supreme Court as well.
06:47Do you see this as a case in which sanctity of elections,
06:51which have been held under the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar,
06:57is being questioned?
06:58Because that's what the opposition politicians are saying,
07:00that those elections are now under scrutiny.
07:06Actually, there is no provision in the law or constitution
07:09that any election which has been held and completed can be put under question, number one.
07:17Number two, there is a way of challenging an election and that is the only election petition
07:23and it has not happened.
07:25So, I don't think that any such issue is evolving.
07:31So, if you are saying that a sanctity of an election has to be questioned only through an election process,
07:36but if the vote, because vote is the right, you know,
07:39the right to vote has been denied in a number of cases
07:41and the functioning of the ECNet or the IT centralization is being questioned here.
07:46There were deletions which were happening and it was completely centralized.
07:50All these questions which the Election Commission faces,
07:54the Chief Election Commissioner himself faces,
07:56what are the questions, according to you, which should be answered at this point?
08:02Because he has stopped, you know,
08:05because there has been only a press release which has come in so far.
08:08There has been no press conference and the list of questions are only increasing.
08:14I feel most of the issues are a little frivolous or made up.
08:21And like this centralization,
08:24I think that since the Election Commission has taken a stand
08:27that deletions will not be reverted.
08:34You have to apply afresh and join as a new voter.
08:38Now, if Goa state, they put deletions in the final list
08:43and then trying to revert or roll back,
08:46they are not succeeding because that provision is not there.
08:49They should have just taken Form 6 and added all those 97 people in the voter list
08:54and the problem is solved.
08:56But even then, when they are sending email and email and email eight times,
09:02that is a duty of Election Commission also to clarify,
09:05but that also didn't happen.
09:06So, these are very, you know, small things which snowballed into something big.
09:13Why are you saying that these are small things, sir?
09:15I mean, the fact that the local officers have been sending emails
09:18and raising concerns and those concerns are not being addressed
09:22and that this entire centralized system is working out of Nirwachan Southern,
09:27don't you think that it raises the larger question here?
09:29That the problem is about one man who is running the Election Commission,
09:34which is the chief election commissioner here?
09:37No, because supervision in the Election Commission is responsibility
09:43at the deputy election commissioner level, director level, DZ level
09:47and everything like email coming and not being responded to
09:52cannot be attributed to the commission.
09:54But it is being seen, Mr. Rawat, as the symptomatic of the larger problem of centralization of power,
09:59which is Gyanesh Kumar here,
10:01and that he did not even listen to the fellow election commissioners
10:04when they were raising objections over the last one year.
10:20Would you please elaborate on this?
10:22You were the CEC, you would have also had two election commissioners under you
10:27who would have raised concerns or objected to certain internal discussions.
10:31Help us understand, how does it actually work?
10:35Most of the time, I could convince them and they came around
10:38and the decisions were taken with unanimity.
10:42Once only this happened, that they did not come around
10:45and I had to tell them that if you don't decide today, I'll go public.
10:50And then they agreed and dropped their objections and things worked.
10:57Are you seeing this snowball into a massive controversy
10:59with the protests happening, opposition leaders raising concerns?
11:02Okay, tell me, what will you be telling the opposition leaders at this point?
11:06Because you have been a CEC yourself.
11:10I won't like to address any politics.
11:13All right, Mr. Rawat, I appreciate your time.
11:16Let me bring in former CEC, S.Y. Qureshi.
11:19Now, Mr. Qureshi, as the former CEC,
11:21how do you see the internal rift within the commission,
11:23Gyanesh Kumar versus two election commissioners?
11:25Is this and can this be called as a breakdown of an institution?
11:35Absolutely.
11:36It's the worst thing which could have happened to the election commission
11:39and it is totally unprecedented,
11:43totally unfortunate
11:44and cannot be allowed to continue like this.
11:50It has clearly come out that most of the decisions taken in the last one and a half years
11:55have been taken by one man,
11:57which is not the commission.
11:59Commission is two persons, the majority of two.
12:01So, all decisions taken by a single man,
12:05whosoever he may be,
12:06he may be the chairman of the election commission,
12:08but they are all illegal,
12:11full stop, illegal.
12:13So, you are saying that all decisions that have been taken
12:16by this present election commission is illegal.
12:19There are leaders in opposition who are of the opinion
12:21that all the elections which have been held under CEC,
12:24Gyanesh Kumar should be nullified.
12:27What are your views?
12:28Is that really possible?
12:30I'm not surprised.
12:32I think it might sound too radical,
12:35but why not?
12:36If some patent, blatant illegality has happened,
12:41how can we allow the consequences of that illegality to continue?
12:46Elections have been set aside for minor irregularities in the past.
12:51At different levels, it may not be the state election,
12:54but okay, in the Lampie or Vedanta election.
12:58That's quite normal.
12:59It's nothing unusual.
13:01So, let us go back to the drawing board,
13:05revive the 2001, January 2001 electoral roll.
13:10All the subsequent rolls should be declared non-existent, void,
13:15and update those rolls by summary revision,
13:19which we have been doing for the last 20 years,
13:22very successfully.
13:23And with those fresh, pure rolls,
13:26then do the elections.
13:28Why not?
13:29Because the elections have been stolen this way.
13:36By, you know, crores of people deleted.
13:39Genuine bona fide voters deleted in elections happening
13:42and results coming out.
13:51Those are rather sharp words here, Mr. Qureshi,
13:55to say that the elections have been stolen as a former CEC yourself.
14:00So, help us understand, because, you know,
14:01I've been speaking to several former CECs,
14:04and O.P. Rawat has been on my shows regularly.
14:07He says that difference of opinion is natural,
14:10that these are disagreements which happen,
14:13but the final decision is unanimous,
14:15and that's what matters,
14:16because if there are three individuals,
14:20they would have differing views.
14:22There is also the other view, Mr. Qureshi,
14:25that the two election commissioners
14:28could have asserted themselves.
14:29They had equal powers as the CEC.
14:33They could have vetoed a decision
14:35which was earlier taken by Gyanesh Kumar.
14:40Well, they,
14:42well, surely they had the power in the sense
14:45that the two become a majority.
14:47So, but in the kind of atmosphere
14:49in which the things have been working,
14:52I don't know,
14:53they didn't feel bold enough to do that,
14:56but I'm very happy,
14:57at least I'm grateful to them,
14:58the nation should be grateful,
14:59at least they had some conscience,
15:01and they were writing dissident notes,
15:04and they were leaving a record.
15:06We have a trail now.
15:07If they had been only putting thumb marks
15:10on what was happening,
15:11then they would have gone down,
15:14in my eyes, totally.
15:16But, of course,
15:17it's very easy to say
15:18they should have spoken then,
15:20they should have come out openly,
15:21and all that,
15:22they see they are said and done.
15:23Mind you,
15:24two election commissioners earlier,
15:27for speaking up,
15:29exactly like that,
15:30writing a dissenting note,
15:32were eased out of the election commission.
15:35In that background,
15:36these two behaving very,
15:39very cautiously,
15:40is understandable.
15:41I don't want to blame them,
15:42and in fact,
15:43any debate on what they should have done,
15:46and they should not have met
15:47the cabinet secretary,
15:47and all that,
15:48I think this is red herring.
15:49You know,
15:50we are diverting the attention
15:51from the main culprit,
15:53from the main issue,
15:54to something,
15:56you can discuss it six months later.
15:58But right now,
16:00by what about,
16:01what about them,
16:02what about they,
16:03why did they not speak?
16:04That is not such an issue,
16:06but what exactly happened,
16:08as much as,
16:08I know,
16:09let us discuss what we know,
16:11and we know that things
16:12were not going on fine.
16:15Mr. Qureshi,
16:16both the Lok Sabha speaker,
16:18and the Rajas Sabha chairman,
16:19have rejected opposition
16:22impeachment notices
16:23against the CEC in the past.
16:25Does that close
16:27the constitutional route
16:28against him of impeachment,
16:30or does it just push
16:33the confrontation onto the streets,
16:35because the CJP
16:37has already given an ultimatum
16:39that if Ganesh Kumar
16:41doesn't resign in 48 hours,
16:44then they are bringing,
16:45you know,
16:45starting a nationwide agitation.
16:49Yeah,
16:50because what happened
16:51in the Lok Sabha,
16:52Rajas Sabha,
16:53the notices were rejected,
16:54but that was then.
16:56I think the situation today
16:58is radically different
16:59from what it was two days ago.
17:02both these gentlemen
17:04who rejected
17:05these motions earlier
17:06would have to think
17:08a hundred times
17:08doing it now.
17:10And I think the motion,
17:12I don't know whether
17:13there is a time bar,
17:14but the motion
17:15can be revived.
17:16Otherwise,
17:17in any case,
17:18parallelly,
17:19the people are going to
17:21come out on the streets.
17:22So that brings me
17:24to my next question,
17:25because the opposition
17:26is saying
17:27that he should be impeached.
17:29There is this pressure group
17:30which is the CJP
17:31has given an ultimatum
17:33that he should resign.
17:36Does a street ultimatum
17:37to a constitutional authority
17:39set a dangerous precedent?
17:43Yes, it is.
17:44It is very unfortunate.
17:46You know,
17:46the election commission of India
17:47was the most respected authority
17:50in the country
17:51for the last 70 years.
17:52Only in the last few years
17:54for its omissions
17:56and commission,
17:57its reputation
17:57has been going downhill.
17:59And this is the pits
18:00that what we have now achieved.
18:03Therefore,
18:03people taking to a street
18:04because there was resentment.
18:06You remove 13 crore people
18:08and they will keep silent.
18:10How long?
18:11They did keep silent
18:12for the last one and a half years,
18:14which was shocking in itself.
18:16People should have been louder,
18:18very coolly,
18:19calmly,
18:19gently,
18:20some computer
18:21sitting in Delhi
18:22is overruling
18:23the legal authority ERO.
18:25ERO is the only authority,
18:27only authority
18:28which can change
18:30the electoral road
18:31by adding or subtracting a name
18:33or making any changes.
18:36There, here,
18:37the computer in Delhi,
18:38computer,
18:39they were overruling
18:43and the only legal authority,
18:45the ERO,
18:46who is an SDM,
18:47had no access,
18:48in most cases,
18:50to the ECINET.
18:53So, Mr. Kudeshi,
18:54that the BJP is saying
18:55that those who are raising
18:56the questions
18:57with regards to Gyanesh Kumar,
18:59of course,
18:59the election commission also,
19:01must explain
19:02what used to happen
19:06earlier.
19:07You know,
19:08the BJP says
19:09that during the Congress regime,
19:11the election commissions
19:11were functioning
19:12in questionable manner.
19:15There were newspaper clips
19:16that they are showing
19:17in the press conferences
19:18about appointment
19:19of Naveen Chawla
19:20by Sonia Gandhi.
19:21So, certainly,
19:23when it was the UPA time,
19:25the election commission
19:26faced similar allegations
19:27and questions.
19:28So, there is nothing unusual.
19:32No, no,
19:33I think this is total rubbish.
19:34Even if that was the case,
19:36so what?
19:37What about the current case?
19:39Because they show
19:40some Naveen Chawla clipping,
19:41so, therefore,
19:42all that has happened
19:44is justified?
19:45This whataboutry
19:46is the most nonsensical thing
19:47we hear on the television.
19:49these days.
19:49Oh, what about then?
19:50What about then?
19:51What about then?
19:52So, let us discuss then.
19:53Today, you forget about it.
19:55What is happening
19:56in this totally absurd
19:57kind of argument?
20:00And that brings me
20:01to my last question.
20:02And I'm looking at
20:04all that is being said
20:05by multiple opposition leaders
20:07for Mamata Banerjee
20:09who has accused,
20:11you know,
20:12Gyanesh Kumar
20:13of helping the BJP
20:14win through EVM hacking.
20:17A lot of these demands
20:18are coming.
20:19Arvind Kejriwal,
20:20Rahul Gandhi,
20:21all of them are speaking
20:22about it.
20:24The opposition seems
20:25to be united,
20:27but do they really
20:28have evidence
20:29of a compromised
20:30election commission?
20:32Because what is clear
20:33is that when the
20:35SIR process started,
20:38there were multiple
20:39petitions that were
20:40filed before the
20:41Supreme Court.
20:41the Supreme Court
20:43had also issued
20:44guidelines.
20:46So, how do you
20:48see this entire
20:49exercise now
20:50play out, sir?
20:53Well,
20:55opposition would say
20:56what they are saying.
20:58It is logical,
20:59it is natural,
21:00but I would not
21:01go into that.
21:01But the fact that
21:03the guy in question
21:04was indulging
21:05in illegality,
21:07blatant illegality,
21:08blatantly,
21:09he did not hold
21:10election commission
21:11for four months
21:12when the exercise
21:14as serious as
21:14SIR was going on.
21:16I was in the
21:17election commission.
21:18Even in the normal
21:19times, we used to
21:20meet twice a week.
21:21And in election days,
21:22we used to meet
21:23every day,
21:24commission,
21:24all three.
21:26And SIR happening
21:27is as serious
21:28as an election
21:29happening.
21:30They should have
21:30meeting every day,
21:31but he had
21:32shared content
21:33for the other two,
21:34and he did not
21:35even call a meeting.
21:36And their protest,
21:37their questions,
21:38and everything
21:38was being pushed
21:40under the carpet.
21:43So, with this
21:44kind of attitude,
21:45everything which
21:46he has done
21:47or not done
21:48comes into question
21:49and should be
21:50investigated.
21:51There should be
21:51a technical,
21:53legal audit
21:53of everything
21:54that has happened
21:55in the election
21:56commission in the
21:56last two years.
21:58All right.
21:59Aswai Kureshi,
22:00former election
22:00commissioner,
22:01chief election
22:02commissioner,
22:02thank you so much
22:03for joining us.
22:05Shifting focus
22:06to my home state
22:07of Bihar,
22:08and even as
22:08politicians bicker
22:09over polls
22:10and votes,
22:11women in Bihar
22:12are still fighting
22:13for something
22:13far more fundamental.
22:16The right to safety,
22:17the right to dignity,
22:18and the right
22:19to move freely.
22:20I say this
22:22because Bihar
22:22matters.
22:24And Bihar's
22:25daughters
22:25matter even more.
22:29I'm here to raise
22:30the voices
22:30of the women
22:31of Bihar,
22:31Banka,
22:32Samastipur,
22:33Jammui,
22:33three videos,
22:35three districts,
22:36but the horror
22:36is the same.
22:38Women dragged,
22:39groped,
22:40and harassed,
22:42not under the
22:43cover of darkness,
22:44but in broad daylight,
22:45while cameras rolled
22:47and songs were
22:48added later.
22:49Reels were made
22:50in those
22:51traumatic,
22:53horrific moments
22:54for those girls.
22:55So we have to ask,
22:57is this a return
22:58of the jungle
22:58Raj in Bihar?
22:59And is an
23:01encounter
23:01really the only
23:02answer to
23:03crimes against
23:04women?
23:05Is that the only
23:06path to justice?
23:07Because women
23:08should not
23:09have to live
23:10in fear,
23:11and justice
23:11can't be reduced
23:12to an encounter.
23:13I'm leaving you
23:14with this grim report.
23:15Thanks for watching.
23:44There is not an
23:46shocking.
23:47A young woman
23:49accompanied by a man
23:50was molested
23:51and harassed
23:52in Bangka,
23:53a prominent tourist
23:55spot and pilgrimage.
23:57The entire incident
23:59was recorded
23:59on camera.
24:01The monsters
24:02can be seen
24:02blocking the girl,
24:04twisting her arm,
24:05and then hitting her
24:06with slippers.
24:08More astonishing
24:09is the fact
24:10that the video
24:10has been edited
24:11with a song
24:12that seems
24:13to glorify
24:14the behavior.
24:20After the video
24:21went viral
24:21on social media,
24:22police swung
24:23into action,
24:25registered a case
24:26and identified
24:27the accused.
24:39In Samastipur,
24:40a minor girl
24:41was surrounded
24:42by a mob,
24:43dragged,
24:44groped,
24:44and harassed
24:45in broad daylight.
24:47The young girl
24:48resisted
24:49as the molesters
24:50let her go.
24:57After the public
24:58outrage,
24:59four accused
24:59have been arrested.
25:26But what's more
25:27astonishing
25:27is the trivialization
25:28of the issue
25:29and the politics
25:30that followed.
25:32is the trivialization
25:36There are also
25:36in Japan.
25:37There are also
25:38in America.
25:40America is a lot
25:41of developed countries.
25:43There are also
25:43in the country.
25:44But what do you
25:45want to save that
25:47What do you
25:48want to know
25:49of the government?
26:08Just a few days ago, a video showing sexual harassment of a girl surfaced from Jamoy.
26:17The main accused, Nandan Yadav, who groped, assaulted and molested the girl, was shot in
26:24the leg by police in an encounter.
26:27Another accused, Hari Ram, suffered the same fate.
26:32From Jamuyi to Samastipur to Baka, the script just does not change.
26:39The betis of Bihar are not safe.