‘Turn approver or face trial’: Congress targets CEC Gyanesh Kumar over SIR, 'Mark VIP'

Attacking the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BJP over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) row, the Congress on Friday (September 25) called all the decisions taken by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar as “null and void”, including the SIR. The Opposition party also urged the CEC to turn "approver" or face trial.

Amid the raging SIR row, the Congress accused the ECI of carrying out an "unprecedented attack" on voter equality by allegedly creating a specific "Mark VIP" feature in the BLO Application.

The Congress also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Gyanesh Kumar will not be spared for their "misdeeds".

Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "We are sure the Supreme Court is watching what is happening and will take the right steps at the right time."

‘Mark VIP’ feature

Khera, during a press conference, said a shocking investigation by the English daily Indian Express has revealed that, in the middle of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls, the Election Commission introduced a specific 'Mark VIP' feature in the BLO App.

The feature allows booth level officers to identify and mark certain Indian electors as VIPs, he pointed out. "The Apple App Store records the change as 'Mark VIP elector-related changes'. What sort of VIP culture is this?"

Also Read: Gyanesh Kumar faces prosecution plea in SC, Congress demands his removal over SIR

"PM Modi repeatedly projected himself as the pradhan sevak and claimed that his government had ended VIP culture. Under whose instructions then is the Election Commission operating a system that distinguishes between VIP voters and ordinary voters?" Khera asked.

Why is the Election Commission segregating Indian voters, and on what grounds, he asked.

VIPs issued notices

Citing media reports, Khera claimed that election officials were directed to identify ministers and their families, celebrities, judges, advocates, bureaucrats including IAS and IPS officers, media persons, social workers, and others as VIPs.

Also read: CEC must resign, SIR revisited: Naveen Patnaik on EC dissent row

He said those issued notices in Delhi included former deputy prime minister LK Advani, former vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Election Commissioner SS Sandhu, former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, CBI Director Praveen Sood, former Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi, and former Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, among others.

Earlier, former Navy chief and Vir Chakra awardee Admiral Arun Prakash and his wife were also served notices during the SIR in Goa, he said.

Even Bharat Ratna Professor CNR Rao appeared in the SIR discrepancy list over a name mismatch, Khera said.

Questions VIP culture

Is it merely a coincidence that after the SIR began generating embarrassing headlines involving senior BJP leaders, constitutional functionaries, ministers, former service chiefs, and other eminent citizens, a mechanism to specifically 'Mark VIP' electors has now surfaced, he asked.

Democracy rests on the principle of one person, one vote, and one value, and there cannot be one electoral process for the powerful and another for the ordinary citizen, he argued.

"There cannot be one queue for the common voter and a VIP fast lane for the privileged. There cannot be an SIR for ordinary Indians and a special facilitation mechanism for VIPs," he said.

"What is the statutory authority for distinguishing between VIP and ordinary electors?" he asked.

He questioned what exactly a VIP voter gets that an ordinary voter does not.

Also read: EC denies SIR dissent report; Oppn calls for CEC’s removal, arrest, fresh polls

"Can VIP electors be included without submitting enumeration forms? Are their documents collected at home? Are their cases processed first? Are they exempted from appearing at hearing centres? Publish the complete protocol for VIP and marked electors," he said.

‘Resign and turn approver or face trial’

"We want to say to Gyanesh Kumar, it's done, bro. Heed Rahul Gandhi's advice - resign and turn approver," Khera said, adding that if Kumar does not do so, he should be ready to face trial.

Khera said the EC must answer who ordered the segregation of Indian voters.

"This unprecedented attack on voter equality, which is against the Constitution of India, could not have taken place without the go-ahead of the BJP-RSS and the Modi government. Was the view of the two election commissioners also taken in passing the order?”

Neither PM Modi, Shah, nor Kumar would be spared, he said.

(With agency inputs)