00:00Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has launched a multi-pronged offensive against the Narendra Modi government
00:05from protests on Sansad Marg, going to Akashwani Bhavan, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar
00:14to protests near Jantar Mantar, to marching with thousands of followers and party leaders and cadre towards the Supreme Court,
00:23protests virtually every day. Has this put the Narendra Modi government on the back foot?
00:28Joining me on this India First special broadcast is Smriti Irani, BJP General Secretary, former Union Minister, Senior Party Leader.
00:37Ma'am, welcome. Rahul Gandhi's strategy to corner the Narendra Modi government, demanding the resignation of CEC, protests every day.
00:46Has this put the Modi government on the back foot, ma'am?
00:48Why? Why would you presume that?
00:51I think if you turn the page of time, you will see that in 2025, Rahul Gandhi himself declared that
00:58his fight is no longer with the BJP,
01:00that he's fighting the Indian state.
01:03Now, if you go by that statement of his, what does the Indian state get denoted by?
01:08By our democratic framework, who ensures that our democracy is vibrant and we elect a government, an informed choice of
01:18the people of India?
01:19That is the Election Commission.
01:22So, Rahul Gandhi has himself declared an attack on the Indian state, thereby his attack on the Election Commission of
01:27India should not surprise you.
01:29In fact, today, some of his supporters, some of the leaders that he's trying to bring under his wing, they
01:37have openly declared that their intention is not transparency,
01:42that their intention is pure and simple regime change.
01:46So, the play of words on many channels may be differentiated, but their goal is very clear.
01:54Regime change in a democratic country, where through the voting process, the people of India elect those who will represent
02:03them in parliament and in government.
02:05So, an unelectable prince, who hopes to be emperor one day, is now throwing a political tantrum and nothing else.
02:14So, you call Rahul Gandhi's protest as political tantrum.
02:17So, let's take this step by step.
02:19No, I don't call his protest a political tantrum.
02:21I said that a prince in waiting, who is hoping to be declared emperor, is throwing a political tantrum.
02:28And I'll tell you why I'm saying this.
02:31Leave aside what has been said about the EC.
02:36Leave aside observations of the Supreme Court.
02:39Leave aside what BJP is saying.
02:42Focus particularly on what Rahul Gandhi's interaction was recently with journalists,
02:47where one journalist in a live press conference asked that the leader of opposition there has any proof with regards
02:56to his attack on the election commission.
02:58In Rahul Gandhi's own words, he has said that he has absolutely no proof.
03:05So, he is trying to hold a particular geography in the national capital hostage with absolutely no proof.
03:13Okay.
03:14I'll come to some of the allegations in a moment.
03:16But since you referred to those with Rahul Gandhi, there was a Tea Party.
03:19There were opposition leaders with him.
03:22There were civil society members.
03:23I want to draw your attention to what Prashant Bhushan, who is a senior advocate, words to the effect that,
03:28yes, our aim is regime change.
03:31The only way you can change a government in this country is through an election.
03:36You cannot take away the rights of 90 crore Indians in this country just because Prashant Bhushan woke up and
03:44said, I want a regime change.
03:45That will not happen.
03:46So, if they are trying it through the democratic means, is there anything to indicate?
03:53Is beating up of Delhi police officials on the streets of Delhi a democratic way?
03:59Is abusing the Indian army during their demonstration a democratic way?
04:04Is abusing the Prime Minister of India a democratic way?
04:09Fight an election.
04:10That is a democratic way.
04:13But that's their allegation that there is no level playing field.
04:16How not?
04:16For example, they allege that the election commission is compromised, 0.1, 0.2.
04:22How?
04:22No, explain to me how.
04:23So, 13 crore voters disenfranchised through the SIR process.
04:28No, no, not at all.
04:28Absolutely false.
04:3190 crore voters, out of which 90% have been verified by the election commission.
04:36But for those who possibly may not have access to information, please go online, study.
04:44What is the process?
04:46The Booth-level officer goes house to house to verify every voter.
04:51But alongside the Booth-level officer is a Booth-level agent which is a representative of all political parties, which
04:58includes the Congress and those who are allies of the Congress party.
05:03Close to 20 lakh Booth-level agents have been a part of the SIR.
05:15So, out of the 13 crores that they have been espousing as a part of the draft electoral role, those
05:22are the people on whom certain issues have come to the fore.
05:26So, 3 crore such names are people who are dead.
05:31Should dead people be a part of the electoral role of India?
05:35Absolutely not.
05:36Now, out of them, 6 crore people approximately have shifted, which means they may have a vote in A city,
05:44they may have moved to B city.
05:46Should they maintain in both cities?
05:48No.
05:49So, that is a process which is underway.
05:51Correct?
05:52There are 1 crore people whose names are duplicates.
05:57Should duplicate names be a part of the electoral role?
06:01Only in one place and not two.
06:03Duplicacy should not be allowed.
06:05Correct?
06:05Is that your position as the very senior journalist and editor?
06:08Absolutely.
06:08Now, there are 3 crore people who are untraceable.
06:11And when I say this, this is four categories under which 13 crore people have been identified.
06:18Absent, shifted, dead and duplicate.
06:20So, the 3 crore people who are untraceable, how are they untraceable?
06:24The Booth-level officer is going again and again to that same address.
06:27And the person who is supposed to be there at that address cannot be traced right now.
06:32But, again be mindful that the Booth-level agent, which includes representatives of the
06:37Congress Party and those in the opposition, is a part of this entire process.
06:43So, once an electoral role is finalized, the process of making yourself a voter does not
06:49stop.
06:50It is a continuous process.
06:54But those who are dead, those whose names are duplicate, those who are shifting places,
06:59I want to shift the vote, my stand is, should dead people be a part of the electoral role?
07:06Have you ever heard the leader of opposition vehemently say that, yes, dead people should
07:11be out of the electoral roles?
07:13Have you ever heard him?
07:15No?
07:16Have you ever heard him say that those who have duplicate names should not be a part of
07:21the electoral role?
07:22No?
07:23So, now when the opposition says, stop this process, bring transparency in this process,
07:28Why should a process which is identifying who has been dead, whose name is duplicated, who
07:36has shifted, when 90% of 90 crore voters have been verified already, and 20 lakh Booth-level
07:46agents of political organizations, including the Congress, the left, all of them have been
07:51a part of the process.
07:52And what do you think?
07:53That elections in this country happens without the intervention of political parties and political
07:59workers.
08:00During the electoral role verification process, revision process, representatives of all political
08:07organizations are a part of it.
08:09And if somebody feels that a name has not been included, that citizen or the Booth-level agent
08:16can bring that to the notice of the EC, can help that citizen file a form.
08:22Additionally, when you go to polls, every voter I am sure knows that at every polling booth,
08:29they are polling agents of all political organizations, which includes the Congress Party, which includes
08:35representatives of all political parties, including those are part of the India Alliance.
08:39When counting is done, it is done in front of not only the political candidate, but also
08:46the counting agent of that political candidate, which includes those who are members of the
08:50Congress Party, those who are members of the India Alliance.
08:55So you're saying vote jury is just not possible in India?
08:57It is a phrase that is, I think, utilized by a leader of opposition who not only believes
09:04in political photobombing, but also headline chasing.
09:08I will attract your attention to Kerala.
09:12Kerala Congress leader says that because of SIR, there was transparency and we could win
09:18an election.
09:20Is the Kerala Congress leadership lying?
09:25Telangana, Jharkhand, Himachal, whose government is it in those states?
09:34Tamil Nadu, whose government is in that state?
09:38Karnataka, whose government is in that state?
09:44So when the Congress Party and its leaders and its workers, along with political leaders,
09:50workers of all opposition political parties are part of not only the voter verification process,
09:59but also the polling process, and also the counting process, and the citizens of India
10:05are watching, and the media is watching, and 90% of 90 crore voters have been verified.
10:12You think Rahul Gandhi's position holds water?
10:15So what is this agitation all about then in your appreciation?
10:19Regime change.
10:19Regime change.
10:20Regime change.
10:20That's what his comrades have said today.
10:24Those he's trying to bring under his tutelage.
10:26They've openly said it.
10:27I don't have to.
10:27Well, thank you now.
10:28Crazy several years ago.
