BJP claims Congress protest over Election Commission’s SIR was staged drama

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Congress‑led protest against the Election Commission’s special intensive revision was a staged political drama. He told reporters that the Election Commission of India (ECI) did not receive any formal request from the Congress party or any other INDIA bloc member for a meeting. The ECI said it only learned at around 4 p.m. from Delhi Police that a delegation led by Rahul Gandhi wanted to meet the Commission and submit a memorandum. Police conveyed that the meeting was sought by a group of 240 MPs at the Parliament House Annexe, but the poll panel, which holds meetings only on its own premises, offered to send its senior officer to receive the memorandum – an offer that was declined. Trivedi argued this sequence shows Congress had no genuine intent to meet the Commission and was merely creating a political spectacle. He noted that Congress has 99 Lok Sabha and 30 Rajya Sabha MPs, while the Samajwadi Party’s 37 MPs were not present at the protest site in the evening. He added that Trinamool, DMK and Aam Aadmi Party members also stayed away. Trivedi quoted, "It is very clear that the entire exercise was carried out to turn democracy into a monarchy, while wearing the mask of democracy," and criticised the sit‑in by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and colleagues at Akashvani Bhawan as evidence of Congress’s refusal to accept democratic norms.

Context

The protest was aimed at the Election Commission’s special intensive revision, a procedural change that the opposition parties claim is unfair, while the ruling party disputes the legitimacy of the protest itself.