Is ECI's Bihar revision exercise really in favor of BJP?

Mumbai, Aug 1 (NationPress) Congress leader Sachin Sawant has sharply criticized the Election Commission of India (ECI), claiming that the recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar was orchestrated to favor the BJP in advance of the forthcoming Assembly elections.

In an interview with IANS, Sachin Sawant asserted, “Rahul Gandhi has unequivocally stated that the entire endeavor by the Election Commission was designed to assist the BJP. This is becoming increasingly clear, and the Congress party will soon provide evidence to substantiate this assertion. We are convinced that the revision was conducted with the explicit intention to distort the electoral process. A pressing question remains: whose names were excised from the voter list, and on what grounds? This warrants a comprehensive investigation.”

Sawant also commented on the Maharashtra government's handling of the scandal involving Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate, who was reportedly seen playing an online card game, presumably rummy, during a meeting. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar has recently reassigned Kokate to the Sports Ministry.

Sawant remarked, “This incident was a disgrace to farmers. The minister should have either resigned or been dismissed. Instead, the government chose to protect him and promoted him to a significant role like Sports. At this pace, they might as well declare ‘Rummy’ as the official sport of the state. The minister, evidently passionate about the game, may even start coaching others while taxpayers' money continues to be squandered. We vehemently condemn the manner in which he was shielded.”

Regarding the recent assertions by a former Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer about directives to detain RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in connection with the 2008 Malegaon blast case, Sawant stated that the BJP must provide answers to critical queries.

“Terrorism is devoid of religion - a declaration made by former Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh, now a BJP minister. He has never denied that evidence exists against certain Hindutva organizations. Therefore, what measures has the BJP implemented? Why are Ram Chandra Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange, linked to the Malegaon case, still evading capture since 2008? Why was the murder of RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi suppressed? The BJP must clarify,” Sawant insisted.

On whether this incident signifies genuine Hindu terrorism or a political conspiracy, Sawant added, “It’s peculiar how this matter is resurfacing after 17 years. The officer referenced is Parambir Singh, who currently enjoys the BJP’s protection. The BJP has been in command since 2014 and even granted Singh significant positions. Why didn’t this issue emerge sooner? If there were abuses between 2008 and 2014, they should consult Ajit Pawar, who was part of that government and is now allied with them. The Malegaon probe was flawed; numerous witnesses became hostile.”