Priyanka slams EC, says it must rethink if it believes its responsibility is only towards BJP

New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday slammed the Election Commission over its officials asking Rahul Gandhi to share details of his claims on poll rigging under oath, and said if they feel their responsibility is only to the BJP then they need to rethink.

Priyanka Gandhi's attack on the poll body came after the Chief Electoral Officers of at least three states on Thursday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to share the names of electors he claimed were either included or excluded wrongfully from the voter lists along with a signed declaration for the poll authorities to initiate "necessary proceedings" in the matter.

Election Commission sources said Rahul Gandhi should either sign a declaration under the Conduct of Election Rules and submit the list of people who he claims were either wrongfully included or removed from the voters' list or he should "stop misleading" the people of India and "stop making baseless allegations" against the poll authority.

Asked about the issue, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Understand this, the affidavit they are asking for is under a law in which you have to give a petition within 30 days otherwise nothing will happen.So why are they asking for the affidavit. Such a big disclosure has been made. If it is unintentional then investigate it." Why is the Election Commission not giving voters' list in a machine readable format and why is it not investigating, she asked.

"Instead you are saying sign an affidavit, Which is a bigger oath than what we take in Parliament. We have taken that oath, we are saying everything in public and are showing the evidence to you," Priyanka Gandhi told reporters in the Parliament House complex.

Reiterating Rahul Gandhi's claims, she said over one lakh fake votes have been found in an assembly which means whoever they vote for will win, the Congress general secretary said.

On EC's critical comments, Priyanka Gandhi asked how do they know the claims are wrong when they have not investigated it.

"The evidence is in front of them and they have to investigate it. How can they say it is wrong unless they investigate it. There can be no matter bigger than this," she said.

"This is the democracy of our nation. It is not a joke. It is not about one party or another party. If they have not investigated it they cannot say it is rubbish," she asserted.

"I am sorry they have a bigger responsibility. If they feel their responsibility is only to the BJP and only to one party they need to rethink it because as my brother said a day will come when other people are in power and then those who have colluded in this kind of complete destruction of our democracy will have to answer for it," she said.

They should be aware that they will have to answer for it, Priyanka Gandhi added.

She said INDIA bloc leaders will decide together on how to go about the issue of poll rigging going forward.

But it is clear that there is some wrongdoing in this matter, Priyanka Gandhi said.

"This would be clear to you and the manner in which their leaders are responding has also made it clear. If you go to a teacher and say cheating is happening will the teacher slap you or say that it would be checked. Here they are abusing him (Rahul Gandhi) and then say sign an affidavit. If such a big 'kaand' is happening under your (EC) nose and you are not doing it, then investigate it," the Congress leader said.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha has claimed there was "vote chori" of 1,00,250 votes in a Karnataka constituency, with 11,965 duplicate voters in the segment, 40,009 voters with fake and invalid addresses, 10,452 bulk voters or single address voters, 4,132 voters with invalid photos and 33,692 voters misusing Form 6 of new voters.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC's Indira Bhawan headquarters, where he gave the presentation on the alleged poll fraud, Rahul Gandhi had also hit back at the Election Commission for demanding his signed declaration on his claims and said he had made the remarks publicly and they can "take it as an oath".

"I am a politician, what I say to the people is my word. I am saying it to the people publicly, take it as an oath. Interestingly, they haven't denied the information.

"They haven't said the voter lists (shown by me) are wrong, they are saying Rahul Gandhi should say it under oath... they know the truth. We know you (EC) have done this across the country," the former Congress president had said.

In a warning to those involved in perpetrating "electoral fraud", Rahu Gandhi had said there are going to be consequences for every single polling officer who is doing this.

"It doesn't matter how senior or junior you are. One day, the Opposition is going to come to power and then you see what we do to you; because you are attacking the foundation of what our forefathers who fought for India's freedom built and we are not going to allow you to do that, no matter who you are," he had said.

Rahul Gandhi said his message to the Election Commission is that they are not in the business of destroying Indian democracy but in the business of protecting it.

"This is a crime that is being committed against the Indian Constitution, against the Indian flag. This is nothing less than that," he had said, alleging poll rigging in various parts of the country.