His second question was also about the same 2023 legislation.

Rahul Gandhi’s Parliament Alert: 3 Tough Questions, 4 Key Demands on Election Reforms

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said in a speech during the Parliament debate on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He asked three probing questions of the government and put four key demands focused on reforming the electoral process.

First, he asked about the removal of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) from the selection panel that appoints the head and other members of the Election Commission of India (EC). He referred to the 2023 law that replaced the CJI with a cabinet minister on this three-member panel and asked, “Why was the CJI removed … what intent could there be to remove the CJI?” He added that, even though he is part of the panel as the Leader of the Opposition, he effectively has “no voice”, as the panel is outnumbered by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.

His second question was also about the same 2023 legislation. This time he focused on a clause that grants immunity to election commissioners from any legal challenge for acts committed in office. He asked in the debate, “Why would the Prime Minister and Home Minister give this gift of immunity … what is the need for such protection?” According to Rahul Gandhi, this is unprecedented and raises serious concerns about accountability reasons within the EC.

Thirdly, he raised the matter of election CCTV and video recordings. He asked, “Why was the law changed so that CCTV footage and other recordings could be destroyed 45 days after the elections? What is the requirement for such a law? Why should the evidence vanish so soon?” He added that this is not a mere technical change but “a question of stealing the elections.”

After asking the three questions, Rahul Gandhi pressed four key demands. He asked that the government provide all parties with a machine-readable voter list at least one month before elections; revoke the law that permits swift destruction of CCTV/video footage; allow political parties’ experts to inspect the internal “architecture” of the EVMs; and roll back the immunity granted to election commissioners so that they are accountable for actions taken while in office.

According to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, these measures are important to ensure transparency and restore public confidence. He warned that without such measures, democratic institutions risk being manipulated.

Source: Hindustan Times