Kharge questions ECI’s execution of Constitutional duty, calls for 'harsh decisions' at CWC meet

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday called for ‘harsh decisions’ in view of some recent electoral setbacks even after encouraging performance in the Parliamentary elections.

Kharge questions ECI’s functioning

In his opening remarks at the Congress Working Committee meeting here, Kharge also referred to questions being raised about whether the Election Commission of India (ECI) was performing its Constitutional duty.

Kharge warned that the Congress cannot let the fascist forces deepen and strengthen their roots and that is why it was important and necessary for the party to win elections and defeat these forces.

“We have to defeat the divisive forces ruling the country at all costs and restore peace, progress, brotherhood and harmony,” he said.

He said these steps are necessary as ‘we have built a beautiful and a glorious nation and people of the country are ready to repose their faith in us… they are waiting for us and we cannot disappoint them.”

Congress accuses BJP of diverting attention from ‘failures’

The Congress president accused the BJP government of trying to divert the attention of people from its repeated failures. Referring to violence in Manipur and Sambhal, he said there were so many sensitive and serious issues the country was facing currently.

Kharge said that during the last 11 years of the BJP rule at the Centre, a huge section of ‘have-nots’ has come up in the country which has been hit by massive unemployment, inflation and grave economic disparities.

Progress of the country

“We have to become their voice”, he noted, adding, “It is also important for the Congress party to form the government so that the agenda for the progress of the country and the deprived people is pursued and implemented.”

Assuring there was no need to feel desperate or dejected, he said, there was a need for complete change from the grassroots level to block, district and AICC levels.

“We will have to bring in the changes according to the changing times”, he said, asserting, “We have successfully faced the challenges in the past and we will face these challenges in future also and move ahead.”

‘EVMs casting doubt on election process’

Referring to the questions being raised about the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), he said that he agreed that the machines had made the election process doubtful.

He said while it was the Constitutional obligation of the Election Commission of India to ensure free and fair elections, questions are repeatedly being raised as to what extent the ECI was fulfilling its Constitutional responsibilities.

On the recently concluded Maharashtra elections, he said, the results defied all calculations particularly when the MVA had done exceptionally well in the Parliamentary elections just six months ago.