Hyderabad: Telangana BJP on Thursday accused Congress of politicising the voter roll controversy and targeting the Election Commission of India. BJP leader N V Subhash alleged that Congress feared defeat in upcoming Assembly elections in five states.
Subhash made the allegations at a press conference at the BJP state office. He targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the party’s protests against the Election Commission. According to Subhash, Gandhi was avoiding parliamentary debate. Instead, he alleged, Gandhi was using protests to attack constitutional institutions.
The BJP leader also rejected the Congress claim that 13.39 crore voters had been removed from electoral rolls. He said the deletions followed the Election Commission’s legally mandated process.
Subhash said the exercise covered absent, shifted, deceased and duplicate voters. He also questioned how the BJP or Central government could face responsibility for field-level verification. Booth Level Officers and other officials conduct that verification, he said.
Voter roll controversy fuels BJP attack on Revanth Reddy
Subhash said the ASDD process covered 2.8 crore deceased voters. It also covered 1.2 crore duplicate entries. Another 6.33 crore cases involved permanent migrants, he said. He added that 3.01 crore voters did not reside at their local addresses.
The BJP leader also attacked Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy over his participation in protests in Delhi. He alleged that the Chief Minister was diverting attention from issues within Telangana.
Subhash accused the Congress government of failing to address farmers’ concerns. He also cited power tariff increases, irrigation shortages and unemployment. Referring to the 2015 “Vote for Note” case, he questioned Revanth Reddy’s right to speak about vote theft.
Meanwhile, Subhash alleged that Congress and BRS opposed each other publicly. He claimed the two parties maintained an understanding behind the scenes. He also accused the Congress government of targeting BJP leaders in Telangana.
Subhash said BJP cadres remained united under State BJP president N Ramchander Rao. He further criticised Rahul Gandhi over the Congress party’s electoral record.
The BJP leader alleged that Congress repeatedly blamed EVMs and the Election Commission after losing elections. At the same time, he said the party praised those institutions when it won.
BJP spokespersons Dr Rahul Saridena, Abhishek, Mahesh and Dr Palnati Venkat Reddy also attended the press conference. Subhash’s remarks added to the BJP’s criticism of Congress over the voter roll issue.