ITANAGAR, 27 Sep: The Arunachal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday criticised Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his recent statements regarding the Election Commission of India (ECI), saying leaders holding constitutional positions should verify facts before making allegations against statutory bodies.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, state BJP spokesperson Tobom Dai took exception to Gandhi's 24 September remarks demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged differences within the commission regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Dai highlighted the ECI's clarification issued on 26 September, which stated that all decisions concerning the SIR were taken unanimously during a full commission meeting comprising Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
"Political leaders, particularly those holding constitutional positions, should exercise due caution and verify information before levelling serious allegations against constitutional institutions," Dai said.
Referring to media reports that triggered the controversy and the subsequent official clarification from the ECI, the BJP spokesperson said public discussion regarding democratic institutions must be grounded in verified official records, rather than unverified claims.
"Targeting constitutional institutions by Rahul Gandhi is not a new phenomenon. The Congress and its allies accept the Election Commission and the electoral process when they win, but raise questions against the same institutions when faced with defeat," Dai alleged, adding that constitutional bodies must be respected consistently, irrespective of electoral outcomes.
He added that the ECI's statement regarding unanimous decision-making raises fundamental questions about the basis on which demands for the chief election commissioner's resignation were raised by opposition leaders.
In separate posts on social media, state BJP president Kaling Moyong and Lok Sabha MP Tapir Gao echoed similar sentiments, emphasising that democratic institutions, the electoral process, and official mandates should be respected consistently by all political parties. (With PTI input)
