Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday alleged that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come that it should be made a “fundamental right” for citizens, as currently it is a “statutory right”.
Speaking with the media here, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
Slamming the Chief Election Commissioner, he said, “The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer.”
Taking a jibe at the CEC, the Congress Rajya Sabha member said that he (Kumar) is completely compromised and has become a player in elections.
“Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds — detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many of them have been deported,” Ramesh said.
He alleged, “The right to vote is now under threat.”
He also said that the right to vote is currently a statutory right.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the removal of the CEC, he said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar’s removal as he is “compromised”.
The Congress leader said: “I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable.”
He also said that this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
Dr BR Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he highlighted.
“Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens,” Ramesh added.
Ramesh also dubbed the exit polls as a bogus.
