Congress Accuses BJP of Undermining Democracy in Haryana Rajya Sabha Election
In a scathing attack, the Congress party on Tuesday alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) resorted to "money power, threats, and misuse of the returning officer" to secure victory in the Haryana Rajya Sabha election at any cost. The opposition party slammed the BJP for what it called "again exposing its anti-Ambedkar character" by attempting to deprive grassroots Dalit activist Karamvir Boudh of his parliamentary membership.
Allegations of Electoral Manipulation
Congress MP Deepender Hooda, speaking at a press conference alongside the party's scheduled castes department chairman Rajendra Pal Gautam, detailed the alleged malpractices. Despite facing cross-voting from five Congress MLAs and having four of its votes declared invalid, the BJP managed to scrape through in the polls. Hooda claimed that the BJP's appointment of Gujarat's deputy chief minister as an observer for the election signaled the leadership's intent to win "irrespective of the tactic used."
"BJP tried to murder democracy in the dark of night," Hooda asserted. "All the four votes declared as invalid were completely valid. They had even been put in the tray of valid votes by an official. But this was done by a blatantly partisan returning officer to contrive the numbers in favour of BJP."
Strategy of Pressure and Fixing
Deepender Hooda outlined a three-pronged strategy he accused the BJP of employing:
- Engineering Cross-Voting: The BJP allegedly aimed to secure cross-votes from nine or seven Congress legislators while also targeting two votes from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).
- Last-Minute Maneuvers: Hooda noted that INLD, which he described as the "B-team of BJP," announced its decision to abstain from polling just half an hour before voting ended, purportedly because it was certain Congress would win otherwise.
- Returning Officer Interference: When pressure and monetary tactics failed, Hooda claimed the BJP turned to fixing the outcome through the returning officer, whom he accused of acting as a "BJP agent."
Consequences and Broader Implications
The Congress MP warned that the party would take strong action against the MLAs who cross-voted and betrayed the party, emphasizing that "people will not forgive the legislators who betrayed their mandate." This incident has reignited debates about electoral integrity and the treatment of Dalit representation in Indian politics, with Congress framing it as part of a broader pattern of BJP undermining democratic norms.
