New Delhi:

Responding strongly to the Election Fee’s reply to its complaints about “irregularities” within the Haryana Meeting elections, the Congress has accused the ballot physique of attacking the social gathering and its leaders and threatened to take authorized motion for expunging such remarks if it continues to take action. 

In a strongly worded letter on Friday, the Congress stated its communications to the Election Fee of India (ECI) are restricted to the problems and respect the workplace of the Chief Election Commissioner and the election commissioners however the ballot physique’s replies are written in a condescending tone. “If the present ECI’s aim is to strip itself of the final vestiges of neutrality, then it’s doing a outstanding job at creating that impression,” the Congress wrote.

Replying to the Congress’ criticism on Tuesday, the Election Fee had criticised the social gathering for making “baseless allegations when confronted with inconvenient electoral outcomes” and cautioned it towards making “unfounded and sensational complaints”. The ballot physique had additionally termed the allegations “irresponsible” and requested the social gathering to take steps to curb a “tendency of frivolous complaints” whereas insisting that the electoral course of in Haryana was flawless. 

The Congress, in its response, stated it was not stunned that the Election Fee had given a clear chit to itself however stated the “tone and tenor of the ECI’s response, the language used, and the allegations” made towards the social gathering compelled it to answer. 

The social gathering stated the Election Fee had raised the “distinctive” nature of partaking with it on the problems raised and stated it appeared the ballot physique had forgotten that it was its obligation to take action. 

‘Laced With Assaults’

“Second, the latest tone of the Fee’s communications to the INC is a matter that we refuse to take flippantly anymore. Each reply from the ECI now appears to be laced with ad-hominem assaults on both particular person leaders or the social gathering itself. The INC’s communications confine themselves to points and are written with a regard for the excessive workplace of the CEC and his brother Commissioners,” the letter, signed by 9 senior leaders together with KC Venugopal, Ashok Gehlot and Ajay Maken, said. 

“Nonetheless, the ECI’s reply are written in a tone that’s condescending. If the present ECI’s aim is to strip itself of the final vestiges of neutrality, then it’s doing a outstanding job at creating that impression. Judges who write selections don’t assault or demonise the social gathering elevating the problems. Nonetheless, if the ECI persists then we will don’t have any alternative however to hunt authorized recourse to expunge such remarks (a treatment with which the ECI is acquainted because it unsuccessfully sought to do the identical with a Excessive Court docket’s unflattering however correct observations after Covid),” it added.

The final remark was a reference to the Madras Excessive Court docket castigating the Election Fee in 2021 and observing that the ballot physique permitting political events to take out rallies and organise conferences had led to a surge in Covid instances. 

The Congress claimed that the Election Fee has virtually at all times fought any transfer for transparency and that whereas its complaints on the Haryana ballot course of had been particular, the ballot physique’s feedback had been “generic and targeted on diminishing the complaints and the petitioners”.

‘Completely Surprising’

When the counting for the Haryana elections was held on October 8, the BJP surged forward after early leads for the Congress and ended up profitable a file third straight time period with 48 of the state’s 90 seats whereas the Congress received 37. The Congress had complained of an “unexplained slowdown” in updating outcomes, which the Election Fee had dismissed.

Later that day, the Congress stated it couldn’t settle for the decision of the elections saying they had been “completely surprising, utterly shocking and counter-intuitive”.

“What we’ve seen at present in Haryana is a victory for manipulation, a victory for subverting the desire of the individuals and it’s a defeat for clear, democratic processes. The chapter on Haryana isn’t full,” senior chief Jairam Ramesh, who can be one of many signatories of Friday’s letter, had stated.