NEW DELHI: Dubbing the Election Commission as “compromised” and accusing BJP of “vote chori”, Congress MP K C Venugopal said the British thought they could rule forever with the help of their police and wealth but had to contend with the freedom struggle, and India will witness a people’s movement again to save democracy under BJP rule.Participating in the discussion in Lok Sabha on election reforms, Trinamool Congress MP Satabdi Roy accused the govt of turning a respectable word ‘sir’ into a ‘Gabbar Singh-like’ fearful figure and torture for the voters. Samajwadi Party member Dimple Yadav demanded return to the ballot papers and accused the Election Commission of working according to the direction of the govt.Venugopal said the Modi govt froze the bank account of Congress just before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls for a two-week delay in filing IT returns, and the EC refused to intervene in the matter – as he expressed surprise that it happened in a democracy and against a “poor” party.He said when PM Modi during a 2024 campaign speech in Banswara claimed that a Congress govt will take away the gold and mangalsutra of women, Congress filed a complaint with the EC for violation of model code by the PM. “But the EC forwarded our letter to BJP president J P Nadda,” he said to laughter around, adding, “Then they filed a manipulated complaint against Rahul Gandhi. Where was the neutral umpire?” “The EC is now brazenly partisan,” he said.Venugopal asked why was the CJI taken out of the collegium to select ECs when the SC had passed a judgment saying there should be an impartial umpire for elections. He also asked why the EC was given immunity for its actions in office through a change of law in 2023.
