Addressing senior leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Gandhi thanked opposition MPs for their protests over the past three to four days and called for continued pressure on the government.
“This problem will require the termination of the current government, and will require 10 years of repairing the damage that has been done,” Gandhi said, alleging that the damage to India’s democratic institutions went beyond any one individual.
Gandhi said he had refrained from questioning the state of Indian democracy until he believed he had obtained conclusive evidence of electoral irregularities. Referring to alleged changes in voter lists in Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, he said a group of people had worked on the issue and brought him what he described as “black and white proof”.
“They came to me with proof of tensions, of additions, of changing changes in the motor list. Not 10, 15, 20 people, millions of people,” he said, referring to alleged additions and deletions in electoral rolls.
Gandhi said the functioning of India’s democratic structure was fundamental to the Constitution, arguing that any breakdown in the system would have far-reaching consequences for the country’s legal and political framework.
“We’ve seen elections. You fought elections. Mamata ji has fought. Kharge ji has fought. Election after election after election, and we know that you win elections and you lose elections,” he said, adding that electoral outcomes were meant to reflect the changing choices of the people.However, he alleged that this process had stopped functioning as it should after 2014, citing several state elections as grounds for concern.
“For me, this is fundamental pillar. Not only of India, it’s a fundamental pillar of my entire being,” Gandhi said, explaining why he had been reluctant to question the integrity of India’s democratic system without what he considered sufficient proof.
‘This is worth fighting for and worth dying for’
Gandhi described the alleged electoral irregularities as an attack on the country’s core values and urged opposition leaders to continue their campaign.
“Please understand that this is an act of treason. This is an act against everything that we stand for,” he said. “This is something that is worth fighting for and worth dying for.”
Invoking former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s Tryst with Destiny speech, Gandhi recalled Nehru’s words on India’s independence and the hope associated with freedom.
“May this star never set, and that hope never be betrayed,” Gandhi quoted Nehru as saying, drawing a parallel with what he described as the threat facing Indian democracy today.
Gandhi criticises Election Commission
Gandhi also criticised the Election Commission over its alleged refusal to meet opposition MPs who had sought an appointment. He said opposition MPs had been detained when they attempted to raise their concerns and accused the poll body of failing to respect elected representatives.
“Please understand, he is the implementer. He is a service Provider to us, he is not some king,” Gandhi said, referring to the Election Commission. “His job is to provide a service to the people of India and the elected representatives of the people of India.”
He added: “And he tells the elected representatives of India that he will not meet them. Who does he think he is?”
Gandhi said the opposition would take its concerns to the President, asserting that MPs represented the voice of the people and should be heard by constitutional institutions.
Praising the INDIA bloc leaders for their recent protests, Gandhi said their collective action had challenged the government and predicted that sustained pressure would lead to its fall.
“You are right now underestimating what you have done as a group, you have shaken the foundation of this government, and if we continue to push the same way we have been pushing for the last three four days, I guarantee you this government will fall because standing with us is the expression of the people of India,” he said.
Gandhi concluded by thanking opposition leaders who had travelled from West Bengal, Kashmir, Kerala and other states, and urged them to continue working together to defend democratic institutions.
