New Delhi: Congress leaders on Tuesday slammed the BJP over its rejection of nomination papers of party candidate Meenakshi Natarajan, and said that when they approached the Election Commission to challenge the decision, officials “refused” to meet them, forcing the delegation to stage a sit-in outside its office.
They said that the people of the country are watching and every such action raises serious questions about the independence of institutions and the health of democracy.
The Election Commission invited a congressional delegation to meet on Wednesday to discuss the party’s demands.
Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan, whose nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections from Madhya Pradesh were rejected on Tuesday, criticized the BJP and accused it of “trying to manipulate the Rajya Sabha elections”.
At a press conference in Bhopal, she also accused the BJP of “sabotaging the elections in Madhya Pradesh” earlier.
She said the BJP fielded a third candidate despite lacking the required numerical strength.
“It all started when the ruling BJP fielded a third candidate despite lacking the requisite numerical strength. It became clear that they were engaged in politics aimed at trampling on the Constitution and democracy… It is clear that they are trying to manipulate the Rajya Sabha elections just as they had previously sabotaged the elections in Madhya Pradesh,” Natarajan said.
“It is not just about a Rajya Sabha seat or a specific candidate, it is about the broader struggle for the ‘Idea of India’ and democracy, which our leader Rahul Gandhi is waging a decisive battle for our nation today. The question is whether democracy will prevail, whether India’s federal structure will endure, and whether the attempt to impose a one-party system and dictatorship will be thwarted,” she added.
Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jeetu Patwari said that the party will fight this decision with all its strength.
“The Congress party will fight this with all its might… With regard to the legal and election-related allegations arising out of these events and the way our legal experts handled the situation, the authorities could not, and cannot, simply dismiss the legal grounds; however, what happened was an act of pure political malice. How the election officer, who is also the Secretary of the Legislative Assembly, gave political shape to the BJP’s agenda,” he asked.
Party leader KC Venugopal on Tuesday criticized the BJP after Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination papers were rejected with a delegation from the party also going to meet the Election Commission over the issue.
Venugopal said that rejecting Meenakshi Natarajani’s nomination to Rajya Sabha membership is a blatant attempt by the BJP to destroy the democratic process in a covert manner.
“The allegation of any wrongdoing or lack of disclosure in her nomination is complete nonsense and a desperate attempt to snatch a seat from the INC. They stooped so low that they rejected her nomination when they realized that their dirty tricks to reach a settlement on the INC’s multilateral trade agreements would fail,” he said in a post on X.
“This shows the BJP’s hollow commitment to the Constitution and democracy. Every step of the way, they are hell-bent on voting for Shourie – one way or the other. We will not give in to daylight theft of democracy, and we will fight this legally and politically on the streets with all our might,” he added.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who was among the party leaders who reached the Election Commission, said they wanted to petition the Election Commission.
He accused the polling body of “deliberately stopping” the party delegation, and said he had never seen anything like this before.
He said: “We came here to submit a petition. Our candidate has been disqualified. We just want to submit our petition to the Election Commission… Why can’t I sit in the waiting room? I have been a member of Parliament for more than 35 years. I have waited here for more than 10 minutes. You are deliberately blocking us. I have never seen anything like this before.”
Polling for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections is scheduled to take place on June 18.
