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Will Opposition boycott Bihar elections over voter list revision? Experts debate
India Today
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2 days ago
Amid the showdown over the Bihar voter list revision, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav suggested that the opposition could consider boycotting the upcoming state elections.
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00:00
There's some big question. Is this EC voter list revision now going to be completely under the scanner?
00:06
Could the opposition seriously boycott the Bihar elections?
00:09
Why is the government wary of a parliament debate on the special intensive revision?
00:14
Should the EC come out more clearly to allay all fears?
00:17
These are questions I'll raise in my political face-off at the moment.
00:20
Ajay Kumar is spokesperson, Congress and former MP.
00:23
Dr. Ajay Alok, spokesperson, national spokesperson, BJP.
00:26
We appreciate both of you joining us.
00:28
I want to come to you, Dr. Ajay Alok.
00:30
You might have heard Tejasvi Yadav a short while ago saying,
00:34
I do not rule out, I do not rule out, he says, the possibility of boycotting the polls.
00:41
How do you see it?
00:42
The opposition is saying they fear the polls will be rigged.
00:46
More than 50 lakh voters could be struck off the rolls.
00:49
Well, it's an immature statement from an immature leader
00:52
who doesn't understand the root of democracy
00:56
and the extent of democratic ship in this country.
01:00
Of course, he should have taken some lessons from his father.
01:04
And Dr. Ajay Kumar was a serving officer then when TN section episode happened
01:07
in Bihar with Lalu Prashad Yadav.
01:11
He never said like that.
01:13
When all the Gotal Kajin and all everything was taken away by station.
01:16
This was the same election commission then also.
01:18
And this is now also the same election commission.
01:20
And by the way, Rajdeep, you must have listened to Mr. Manoj Jha very carefully.
01:26
He was trying to just get away from this statement.
01:30
He's trying to rather, what else say, put on some...
01:33
No, no, he's saying he fears the election commission of India
01:36
could become the election commission of Bangladesh one day.
01:39
That's what Manoj Jha said.
01:40
He fears, he said directly that a government of two people
01:43
is dictating terms to the election commission.
01:46
That's the last statement he delivered.
01:48
Before that, in your conversation of 9 minutes,
01:50
he was saying something else.
01:52
Why are you just concentrating on the last 10-second statement
01:54
that can become an election commission of Bangladesh?
01:57
Well, I would like to ask Congress Party
01:59
that if tomorrow RGD decides to boycott,
02:04
I think Congress Party should follow the suit.
02:07
Because it's a very simple thing and a very simple logic.
02:11
You can't keep on questioning the referee all the time.
02:13
If you have your intentions,
02:15
very doubtful about the referee,
02:17
you must not play the match.
02:19
Where's the doubt about it?
02:21
If you have doubts about referee, don't play the match.
02:24
But is Congress Party will do so?
02:25
No, they never will do so.
02:27
Because if RGD, once and for all,
02:29
which is never going to happen, let me tell you,
02:31
which is never going to happen with Lalu Prashad
02:33
at the helm of the affairs,
02:35
they will never give a green field to Congress
02:37
because Congress will capsize it like anything.
02:39
If RGD decides to boycott,
02:41
they will say, okay, we are with you.
02:42
And then the last comment goes,
02:44
fight all the nomination
02:45
and grab all the votes for RGD adds.
02:48
Can I get in Ajay Kumar on that?
02:51
Ajay Kumar, do you support the idea
02:53
that Tejasvi Yadav has floated
02:54
that if the Election Commission
02:56
cannot satisfy them
02:58
with their attempt at purifying the roles,
03:00
they could consider boycotting the polls?
03:02
Is that a statement that should have been made?
03:05
Or is it an immature statement
03:06
as the BJP is calling it?
03:07
No, I think the problem what's happening
03:11
with the Bharatiya Janta Party is
03:13
looking at a single election victory
03:17
and not bother about what happens
03:19
to the democracy and polity of this country.
03:22
If a leader of the opposition
03:24
and senior leaders in the opposition
03:27
are even voicing this,
03:29
you're actually getting close to what Bangladesh is.
03:32
This is what happened with the BMP
03:34
and with the Bangladesh government 10 years back.
03:38
Exactly.
03:38
You see, people are not able to see
03:40
the writing on the wall exactly 10 years back
03:44
when repeatedly the debates on Bangladesh
03:46
and Manojah's, to take his example,
03:49
we keep saying that India is a Vishwaguru.
03:52
Our institutions are perfect.
03:55
I would beg to defer,
03:56
whether it is the police institution,
03:59
whether it is the governance institution,
04:00
whether it is the PWD,
04:01
whether the bridges,
04:02
what are we saying?
04:04
That this great election commission,
04:06
because some IAS officers have been there,
04:08
it was being run well,
04:10
it's in a constitutional post,
04:11
we should...
04:11
No, but why not at least allow Dr. Ajay Kumar
04:14
the exercise to be complete?
04:15
In any case,
04:16
the matter is before the Supreme Court
04:18
is with your protests in parliament,
04:21
with your protests outside parliament,
04:22
are you pre-empting the entire process?
04:24
Let the SIR get complete
04:26
and then if you find that it is flawed,
04:28
provide all the evidence,
04:30
and make sure that the Supreme Court
04:32
gives you a verdict in your favour?
04:34
Or have you lost faith even in the Supreme Court?
04:37
No, no.
04:38
Vastit, you need to...
04:39
What is troubling us?
04:41
People, two crore people from Bihar
04:43
struggling to get back.
04:45
Their own JDU MP is saying,
04:47
Dr. Ajay Alok should ask the JDU MP in parliament,
04:52
what is Mr. Yadav's issue?
04:54
Why is he saying the same thing?
04:55
The whole state of Bihar is in turmoil.
04:59
People are...
04:59
Names are being slashed off.
05:02
50 lakhs, they are saying.
05:03
Nobody is answering it.
05:05
Bhartia Janda Party is the only people
05:07
replying to questions we raise on EC.
05:10
Only...
05:11
The BJP only answers.
05:12
EC doesn't answer.
05:14
But the most important thing is,
05:16
is this an important issue or not?
05:18
First question, Razdeep, it is important.
05:20
If it is an important issue,
05:22
we under Rule 377 in the parliament
05:24
have the right to bring it to the speaker's attention
05:28
that it is a matter of urgent national importance.
05:31
Discuss that there is no voting on that,
05:33
on article 377 of the...
05:35
I'll just finish with five seconds.
05:38
Why can't you have a discussion?
05:40
What is the issue of having a discussion under Rule 377?
05:43
I take your point, Dr. Ajay Kumar,
05:46
which I think Ajay Aalok, you should answer.
05:47
Why not a discussion?
05:48
Parliament is the forum for debate.
05:51
If the opposition wants a discussion
05:52
on this special intensive review,
05:54
why not have the debate?
05:56
Why is the government reluctant
05:58
to have debates on any contentious issues?
06:01
First of all, Razdeep,
06:03
Dr. Ajay Kumar should understand
06:05
and Congress party should understand
06:07
that this is not a Gandhi family country.
06:09
This is a country run by the constitution.
06:13
And the constitution,
06:14
according to article 324 and 326,
06:16
gives the election commission right
06:17
to conduct all these exercises.
06:20
And government is no one to answer
06:22
on behalf of election commission
06:23
in the parliament,
06:24
especially when the case is subjudiced
06:26
and it is being reviewed by the Supreme Court
06:28
and when the next hearing is scheduled
06:30
for 28th of July.
06:32
Is our opposition is not responsible enough
06:34
to understand this,
06:35
that when Supreme Court is going to review
06:36
everything on 28th of July
06:38
and election commission
06:39
has already filed an affidavit,
06:41
why there is a need
06:42
to create a ruckus in the parliament
06:43
just on the pretext of SIR.
06:46
Okay.
06:47
Ajay Kumar, you want to respond to that?
06:51
There is also the sense
06:53
that the opposition is perhaps
06:55
using the platform of parliament
07:00
to try and corner the government
07:03
when the issue is actually
07:05
before the Supreme Court
07:06
and within the purview of the EC.
07:08
Wait for the Supreme Court
07:09
is what the government is saying.
07:11
Let's hear what the Supreme Court
07:12
has to say on the 28th.
07:14
No, no.
07:15
So this is becoming a...
07:16
I mean,
07:17
with due respect to Ajay,
07:20
this is the theatre of the absurd.
07:22
Why can't we raise issues
07:24
in the parliament?
07:25
Now, take an example.
07:27
Take an example that ED
07:29
and the misuse of ED and CBI
07:31
happening in the Supreme Court,
07:33
you will not raise it in the parliament.
07:34
I mean, what kind of discussion is this
07:37
that you can't raise issues
07:39
and the parliament is the highest forum
07:42
in which you have to discuss issues,
07:44
whether it's in the Supreme Court or not,
07:45
that doesn't matter, the first point.
07:47
The second point is,
07:49
why is the BJP answering on behalf of the EC,
07:52
which Ajay has not answered it?
07:53
Because every question we have asked,
07:55
only BJP is defending this whole exercise.
07:57
JDU is not defending.
07:59
The third and most important thing,
08:03
your channel,
08:04
every channel across India,
08:06
YouTubers and Hindi newspapers
08:09
like Denny Baskar
08:11
or the Indian Express in English
08:13
and lots of YouTubers
08:14
have put some very,
08:15
very pertinent questions
08:17
to the election commission.
08:19
I remember, Rajdeep,
08:20
for 30 seconds
08:21
that there was a time
08:22
when the press would raise issues
08:24
and it would reverberate
08:26
and echo
08:27
in the corridors of power
08:28
in the parliament.
08:30
I remember Sainat saying
08:31
that that is the power of,
08:32
of Mr. Sainat saying
08:34
that's the power of journalism.
08:35
When you guys used to raise
08:37
10 years back questions,
08:38
it would be seriously considered.
08:40
Today we are in New India
08:41
where nobody wants to report
08:44
and the few who honestly report,
08:46
no, one second,
08:47
who honestly report,
08:49
it just doesn't,
08:50
there's no discussion
08:51
in the parliament.
08:52
Okay, final, final word.
08:55
Ajay Alok, final word.
08:57
I come back to it.
08:58
If the government
08:59
is going to defend
09:01
the EC on TV shows,
09:03
defend them in parliament also.
09:06
If Ajay Kumar and Ajay Alok
09:08
can have a debate
09:09
on my TV show,
09:10
why can't you have
09:10
the same debate in parliament?
09:12
We are not here
09:13
defending the EC.
09:15
The Bih Bharati Ajanata Party
09:17
and NDA is not defending
09:18
the EC sufficient enough
09:20
for themselves
09:20
to defend themselves
09:21
and they are doing so
09:22
in the court.
09:23
Today also at 5 p.m.
09:24
they have issued
09:25
a press release
09:26
which Congress Party
09:27
unfortunately has not read
09:28
citing all the reasons.
09:31
What we are doing
09:31
is absolutely
09:32
constitutionally legal.
09:34
What we are saying,
09:35
what is the harm?
09:36
Let me ask you one thing.
09:37
This SIP,
09:39
he said,
09:40
Manojah said
09:40
that it happened in 2003,
09:42
nobody questioned.
09:43
He conveniently forget.
09:45
There was a rally
09:45
taken out in Gandhi Medan
09:47
against this SIR
09:48
in 2003
09:49
by Ndana Zad
09:50
and Lalu Prashad Yadav
09:51
if you remember.
09:52
It was just after
09:53
the Lati rally
09:54
to just oppose
09:55
this movement.
09:56
When he was running
09:57
the government in Bihar,
09:57
he opposed that
09:58
and he took out
09:59
a rally
10:00
with Mr. Lalu Prashad Yadav
10:01
and in the result
10:02
in 2004
10:02
at UPA 1.
10:04
How come?
10:05
They have already
10:06
against all these
10:07
kind of constitutional things.
10:08
It has been a matter
10:09
of real good things.
10:10
I'm going to leave it there.
10:12
I'm going to leave it there.
10:13
No, just give me 10 seconds.
10:14
10 seconds.
10:15
Just 10 seconds.
10:16
If at all
10:17
dead people names
10:18
are being removed,
10:19
what's the problem
10:19
Mr. Rajiv Kumar?
10:20
If our voter is
10:21
duplicated or duplicated,
10:22
his name is being removed,
10:24
what is your problem?
10:25
If a voter who is not there
10:26
at the current present
10:27
address and his name
10:28
is being deleted
10:29
from the list,
10:29
Let me give Ajay Kumar
10:31
15 seconds to respond
10:32
to that and then
10:33
I'll move on.
10:34
Ajay Kumar, respond.
10:35
What is your specific
10:36
objection to this
10:37
entire exercise?
10:38
Very quickly.
10:39
15 seconds.
10:40
Because you want
10:41
to make it
10:41
the election commission
10:43
is becoming
10:44
the election department
10:45
of the BJP.
10:46
You did this.
10:47
One sec.
10:48
I didn't interrupt you.
10:50
We did this
10:50
during the Loksab election.
10:53
When you did
10:53
this whole exercise
10:54
in Loksab election,
10:55
again, you want to know
10:56
why you're doing it.
10:57
You're doing it.
10:57
We are no one
10:58
to do this.
10:59
I'm going to leave it
11:00
there.
11:02
You see,
11:03
we will have a wider
11:04
round table on this issue
11:05
but clearly the least
11:07
you would expect
11:07
is these issues
11:08
which are urgent
11:09
and national importance
11:10
would be debated
11:11
in our parliament.
11:13
That's where
11:13
is the ideal forum,
11:14
not necessarily
11:15
TV shows like ours.
11:17
To Ajay Alok
11:18
and Ajay Kumar,
11:19
appreciate your joining us.
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