'Does Oppn want to spread anarchy?': Ravi Shankar Prasad condemns INDIA bloc protest

New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) Amid the INDIA bloc's protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday questioned whether the opposition parties were trying to create "anarchy" in the country.

Speaking to IANS, Prasad said: "Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party and the Opposition INDIA bloc- what do they want? Do they want anarchy?"

"Sitting in Delhi, they have surrounded a sensitive area here, and they are saying that (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar is under the clutches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and (Home Minister) Amit Shah. This is shameful. I condemn this," he said.

Prasad also criticised Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for his reported demand to cancel elections and conduct them again using ballot papers.

"He had said that all elections should be cancelled and elections should be held again through ballot papers. This is their intention, and this is what they want. They cannot win in honest elections. Now, they want to capture the booths. They want to win elections under pressure. They want to stop Dalits and the poor from casting their votes. Congress has been winning like this, whether it was in Bihar, West Bengal or any other state," he said.

"When the people of the country have got the opportunity to exercise their franchise, what does Rahul Gandhi want? When two crore voters have died, will they still be considered voters? Crores of people are voters in two places, which is not permitted under the law," he told IANS.

Prasad further said that the Supreme Court, in its May decisions, had explained in detail that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has the authority to conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

"This is under the law. You have lost in Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, and Bengal. So, you are losing elections and saying that it is collusion by the ECI. You should stop insulting the voters of the country. We condemn the way you are spreading anarchy," he said.

He also accused Rahul Gandhi of repeatedly targeting constitutional and national institutions and alleged that he had "insulted the country" while abroad.

"So, the way Rahul Gandhi is creating anarchy, we condemn it," Prasad said.

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi said around 300 MPs from both Houses of Parliament were stopped from meeting the Election Commission.

He alleged that the MPs wanted to meet CEC Gyanesh Kumar and his two colleagues but were prevented from proceeding towards the Election Commission's office.

Rahul Gandhi further alleged that Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and CEC Gyanesh Kumar had "destroyed the democracy of the country".

--IANS

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