In the recent winter session of the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the BJP-led government of “capturing institutions. His fervent speech highlighted various issues that the Congress has been trying to pitch against the leading party for a while. Here are the highlights from Rahul Gandhi’s speech from the winter season.
Immunity to CEC and EC’s
Rahul Gandhi said that if the Congress-led government comes to power at the centre, it will retrospectively change the law that gives immunity to CEC and ECs against legal actions for decisions taken while in Office. Rahul Gandhi claims that the Election Commission has no answer to the allegations he has made.
He highlighted that the Election Commission has no answer to the allegations he made about bogus voters on the voter lists in different states. Previously, Rahul Gandhi has held press conferences levelling “ Vote Chore “ allegations against the BJP.
The Election Commission should give machine machine-readable voter list to political parties one month before the Polls.
While speaking on the dias Rahul Gandhi said that Election Commission should give machine readable voter list to political parties one moth before the polls, take back guidelines on destruction of video footage after 45days, he said “give us access to Electronic Voting Machines” and see its architecture and change the law about the composition of the committee which selects the Chief Election Commissioner and ECs.
Immunity from any legal action for decisions taken while in the office
Rahul Gandhi also added that the new clause 16 of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners ACT, 2023, provides the Chief Election Commissioner and CEC immunity from any legal action for the decisions taken while in office.
It was earlier this year when the Election Commission had earlier this year revised its guidelines on preserving video footage and photographs of elections and communicated to Chief Electoral officers that the retention period will be 45 days after the declaration of results.
Rahul Gandhi’s Accusation that the BJP-led government has captured institutions such a the CBO and Enforcement Directorate, he said
“I am saying that institutions of India are captured, and I will come to the point that the Election Commission is captured. The project of the RSS was to capture the institutional framework of the country, and I said how the education system has been captured. Vice Chancellor after Vice Chancellor after Vice Chancellor is placed not on merit, not on capability, not on scientific temper, but on the fact that he belongs to a particular organisation,” he said.
“Second capture, which helps in destroying democracy, the capture of the intelligence agencies, we have the Home Minister sitting here, the capture of the CBI, of the ED, of the Income Tax Department, and the systematic placement of bureaucrats who favour their ideology and attack the opposition and anybody who chooses to oppose the RSS,” he said.
‘RSS believe that they should be at the top of the Hierarchy’
He said “It is the idea that every thread, every person in the Union of India is equal that disturbs my friends in the RSS. They are happy to see the fabric, but they cannot stand the idea that every single person in the fabric of our country, regardless of what religion they come from, regardless of what community they come from, regardless of what language they speak, should be equal because they fundamentally do not believe in equality. They believe in a hierarchy, and they believe that they should be on top of that hierarchy,” Rahul Gandhi said. “On 30th January, 1948, three bullets pierced the chest of Mahatma Gandhi.
Nathuram Godse assassinated the father of our nation. Today, our friend does not embrace him. Today, our friends have pushed him away. This is an uncomfortable truth. But that’s not where the project ended. As I said, everything has emerged from the vote. All the institutions have emerged from the vote. So it’s obvious that the RSS has to capture all the institutions that have emerged from it.
Rahul Gandhi on the importance of Khadi
Rahul Gandhi started his speech by stating that Mahatama Gandhi laid a lot of emphasis on Khadi. He said that Mahatma Gandhi framed the entire Indian Freedom struggle around Khadi. Because Kahdi is not just a cloth, Kahdi is the expression of the people of India. He added that it is the imagination, it is the sentiment, it is the productive force of the people of India… Whichever state you go to, you will find different fabrics. Himachali cap, Assamese Gomcha, Banarsi Saree, Kanchipuram Saree, Naga jacket. And you will find that all these fabrics represent the people…
These fabrics are beautiful,” he said. “But if you look slightly deeper, you will find that each one of them has thousands of little threads embracing each other… No one thread is superior to another thread. The threads cannot protect you. The threads cannot keep you warm. But when they come together as a fabric, they can keep you warm, protect you, and express what you have in your heart.
The Lok SAbha took a discussion on ELectroal reforms on Tuesday, a day after it discussed the 150TH anniversary of Vande Matram- with Inputs from ANI.
