New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) Amidst Opposition’s strong resistance to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive and calls for poll boycott in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) RS MP Manoj Jha on Wednesday took a sarcastic swipe at the Election Commission, stating that it shouldn’t take inspiration from Bangladeshi counterpart.

Jha’s remarks come as Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday stated that the party may boycott the upcoming elections, while accusing the Election Commission of large-scale irregularities.

Speaking to IANS, Manoj Jha said, “People will boycott them. Haven’t you seen what happened in Bangladesh? That’s why every time we appeal to the ECI with folded hands to not to take the Bangladesh Election Commission as their ideal. We should learn from Sukumar Sen, India’s first Chief Election Commissioner.”

Replying to Tejashwi’s charge of EC issuing two EPIC numbers to same individuals, Manoj Jha said, “Tejashwi Yadav cited a BJP leader possessing two EPIC numbers. A similar incident happened with Vijay Kumar Sinha. This is not an isolated incident but a systemic failure of the Election Commission.”

“During the Lok Sabha election, Bhikubhai Dalsaniya was registered as a voter in Gujarat. Now, with elections underway in Bihar, he is listed as a Bihar voter. Soon, when Bengal elections happen, he may appear as a voter there too,” he added.

Jha further reacted to BJP’s response, which has accused the Opposition of raising questions only because of fear of electoral defeat.

“You may recall the Chandigarh mayor who was caught in irregularities. Yet, BJP tried to justify that. Here, the questions are directed at the ECI, but the answers come from BJP, revealing their deep nexus. We want this relationship thoroughly investigated,” Jha told IANS.

Jha also reacted on the upcoming ‘Matdata Adhikar Yatra’ launched by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Set to begin on August 17 in Sasaram, the yatra will cover 30 districts in Bihar in three phases, including Rohtas, Aurangabad, Gaya, Nalanda, and Patna among others.

“It’s about more than just the yatra. This campaign aims to mobilise public awareness on what Gandhi describes as an attack on the Indian Constitution,” he said.

–IANS

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