ECI logo (L), viral voter list.
Credit: iStock, X/UP Congress
Lucknow: Amid the ongoing political battle over what the opposition termed ‘vote chori’ (stealing of votes), a viral voter list, which allegedly showed an unmarried seer having 50 sons, the eldest being 72 and the youngest 28, has triggered a huge controversy with the Congress attacking the Election Commission and questioning its impartiality.
The voter list mentions Swami Ramkamal Das, the founder of Ramjanki Temple in Varanasi, as the father of 50 other voters. The youngest son, Raghavendra is purportedly 28-year-old while the eldest one Banwari Das is 72. The seer is unmarried.
‘’See another miracle of the Election Commission…..Rajkamal Das is shown as father of 50…..Will the EC brush it off by calling it an error or will it accept that it is a fraud?’’ Congress said in a message on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter). Congress also shared the alleged voter list on its social media handle.
The saint community of Varanasi, however, slammed the Congress for what it termed ‘demeaning’ the traditions followed by the seers in Hinduism.
Swami Jeetendrananda Sarswati said that leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had sought to demean the traditions followed by the seers and that he would move the court against Rahul and the grand old party.
He said that he would also seek action against folk singer Neha Singh Rathore, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Kanchan Yadav and some scribes for posting messages on social media about the matter.
Jeetendrananada said that there was a tradition in the Sanatan Dharma that those, who were baptised by a saint, became his disciples and mention their guru as their father even though they were not his biological children. ‘’The disciples can mention the name of their guru in the column of father,’’ he said.
‘’Thei Aadhar Cards and voter IDs are made on this basis ... .This is the reason that some children may be 70 years old though their guru could be only 50 year old,’’ he said, adding that he would also meet the EC to put forth his point of view.