New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) The Lok Sabha on Tuesday saw heated exchanges during a debate on election reforms, with Congress MP Manish Tewari and BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal exchanging barbs over the credibility of electoral practices and the history of political manoeuvring in India. Jaiswal claimed that the earliest example of “vote-chori” occurred in 1947, when Jawaharlal Nehru was appointed Prime Minister despite most members of the Congress Working Committee supporting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for the position.

Tewari, who spoke first, raised concerns over the use of public funds in the run-up to elections. He questioned the practice of cash transfers to voters. “You cannot win elections at the cost of the national exchequer or the state exchequer. This will bankrupt our democracy, our country,” he said, warning that such measures undermine the integrity of the electoral process.

He further argued that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has “no legal basis to conduct Special Intensive Review (SIR)” and pressed for greater transparency, asking why the Commission is not providing machine-readable voter lists to political parties.

He made a three-pronged demand: The Election Commission officers’ selection law must be amended. The Chief Justice of India and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha must be in the selection panel. “SIR be stopped immediately, a blanket ban must be imposed on direct cash-transfer before the election, it is against democracy, Tewari said.

Responding to these remarks, BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal accused the Opposition of raising the issue of SIR and “vote-chori” merely to divert attention from their heavy losses in the recently concluded Bihar elections.

He went on to make a provocative historical claim, stating that the first instance of “vote chori” occurred in 1947 when Jawaharlal Nehru was chosen as Prime Minister despite the majority of the Congress Working Committee supporting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Jaiswal extended his argument by citing other episodes he described as examples of Congress-led “vote chori”, including the imposition of Emergency in 1975 and the controversial 1987 elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

His remarks drew strong reactions from the Opposition benches, with members accusing the BJP of attempting to rewrite history and deflect from contemporary electoral issues.

The debate highlighted the deep divisions between the ruling and opposition parties over the conduct of elections and the role of institutions in safeguarding democracy.

While Tewari pressed for reforms to ensure transparency and accountability, Jaiswal’s intervention underscored the BJP’s narrative that Congress has historically manipulated electoral outcomes.

He said the Prime Minister and Home Minister make every possible effort and work persistently whenever there are elections, in contrast to leisure trips made by leaders of the opposition.

–IANS

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