Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: A sharp political confrontation erupted in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday after Congress MP KC Venugopal accused the Election Commission of acting as the “electoral agent” of the BJP. His remarks came during a discussion on electoral reforms, triggering an immediate and forceful response from BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, who demanded that Venugopal’s entire speech be expunged.
KC Venugopal Questions EC’s Neutrality
Opening the debate, Venugopal cited the Prime Minister’s “mangalsutra” remark made during election rallies and alleged that despite Congress filing a formal complaint, the EC merely forwarded it to BJP President JP Nadda, allowing the matter to fade away. He also tabled a copy of the Election Commission’s 2003 order on Special Summary Revision (SIR), questioning why Bihar undertook an SIR just two months before elections.
Venugopal further accused the Commission of unilateral decision-making in Kerala’s local elections and asked why, in a digital era, India still lacks machine-readable voter lists. He emphasized that he is also a petitioner on the SIR matter in the Supreme Court.
Ravi Shankar Prasad Hits Back, Seeks Speech Deletion
Taking the floor, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad condemned the Opposition’s “bitterness”, attributing it to electoral frustration. He argued that Venugopal, being a petitioner in the Supreme Court on the SIR matter, cannot raise the same issue in Parliament.
Prasad accused Congress of historically misusing constitutional institutions and cited past examples — including the Emergency and controversial appointments of election commissioners. He countered Venugopal’s claims by pointing out that the same Election Commission had overseen elections where Congress and regional parties won in Haryana, Telangana, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh.
Demanding deletion of Venugopal’s speech, Prasad remarked, “Please don’t lecture us. Look into your own past before questioning others.”
