CEC Rajiv Kumar's strong words on Jairam Ramesh's allegations against Amit Shah
Jairam Ramesh alleged that Amit Shah had called up 150 district magistrates after voting for the Lok Sabha elections was completed.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Monday, June 3, reacted sharply after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that Union home minister Amit Shah had called up 150 district magistrates across the country after voting for the Lok Sabha elections was completed, saying “it's not right that to spread a rumour and doubt everyone”.
"...Can someone influence them (district magistrates/returning officers) all? Tell us who did this. We will punish the person who did it...It is not right that you spread a rumour and doubt everyone," Rajiv Kumar said at a press briefing, a day before the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
Rajiv Kumar further accepted the demands flagged by multi-party delegations ahead of the counting of the votes.
"All issues raised by multi-party delegations have been addressed. They demanded that there should be CCTV camera monitoring of the movements of the control units. That will be done," the CEC Kumar said.
A delegation of leaders from the opposition's INDIA bloc met the full bench of the Election Commission on Sunday and urged it to ensure that all the guidelines are followed on June 4.
Earlier, the Election Commission of India had sought factual information and details from Jairam Ramesh for his public statement through a post on his social media handle alleging that calls have been made by Amit Shah to 150 DMs just days before the scheduled counting of votes (June 4).
The poll body had sought a response from Jairam Ramesh by June 2 evening for further necessary action.
In a letter to Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh, the Election Commission mentioned that "the process of counting votes is a sacred duty cast upon every RO, and such public statements by a senior, responsible, and experienced leader tend to put an element of doubt and thus, deserve to be addressed in the larger public interest."
"Although, no DM has reported any undue influence, EC had sought details and information from Jairam Ramesh of 150 DMs whom Amit Shah has influenced , as alleged by Mr Ramesh and which he believes to be true, and had thus made these allegations," the letter added.
Earlier on Saturday, Jairam Ramesh had alleged that "outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors". He called it "BJP desperation" and said officials should not get under the pressure by such intimidation
"So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is. Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the INDIA Janbandhan will be victorious. Officers should not get under any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch," Jairam Ramesh said.
If the exit poll results are to be believed, the BJP is returning to power on June 4, while Narendra Modi will become the only prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to win three successive terms in Lok Sabha polls. The exit polls predicted 'Modi 3.0' with PM Modi having led the BJP's poll effort through rallies and roadshows in various parts of the country.
(With inputs from agencies)
