New Delhi, Nov 3 The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) on Tuesday said the Congress’ response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s offer to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is “disappointing”, and asked the opposition party to accept the proposal instead of demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and suspension of SIR.
The party also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks that Prime Minister Narendra Modi became and continues to remain in office with “foreign help”, calling them irresponsible and unbecoming of the Leader of the Opposition.
Talking to PTI, LJP (RV) national spokesperson Ritesh Kumar said the Congress should engage with the proposal through democratic and parliamentary processes.
“Rather than engage with the proposal through democratic and parliamentary processes, the Congress has made a personal demand for the resignation of the chief election commissioner and called for the suspension of the SIR,” he said.
Kumar said the Election Commission is an independent constitutional institution and its decisions and processes should be examined through evidence, established procedures and appropriate forums, not through personal attacks or demands issued for political effect.
“If the Congress has specific concerns about the SIR, it should present them clearly and participate constructively in Parliament. The Union Government’s willingness to discuss the matter in a special session offers a suitable democratic forum for scrutiny and debate,” he said.
The Congress should take up that opportunity in good faith instead of setting preconditions that risk undermining public confidence in constitutional institutions, he said.
The Congress on Tuesday hit back at Shah, saying if he is serious about the proposal, he should first secure the resignation of his “hatchet man”, Chief Election Commissioner Kumar, and also suspend the SIR.
A day earlier, Gandhi hit back at Modi for accusing the opposition of taking foreign help to destabilise the country and challenged him to an open debate on the issue.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also accused Modi of occupying the prime minister’s chair with “foreign help”.
“Mr Modi, stop lying to this nation. You became PM because of foreign help. You remain PM because of foreign help.
“Your financial system is fully controlled and supported by foreigners. Foreign social media fully backs you,” Gandhi alleged in a post on X.
Reacting to Gandhi’s remarks, Kumar said the Congress leader has made sweeping claims about the prime minister and foreign influence without presenting credible evidence.
“Serious allegations should be supported by facts, not posted as political rhetoric on social media,” he said.
Kumar said the prime minister holds office through India’s democratic process and the mandate of its people, adding that suggesting otherwise undermines public trust in institutions.
“If Mr Gandhi believes he has evidence of foreign interference, he should place it before the appropriate authorities and the public,” he said.
“The opposition should focus on facts and constructive accountability rather than trading unverified allegations,” Kumar said.
(PTI News)
