CH NEWS, BENGALURU
Karnataka Congress president B.K. Hariprasad on Sunday alleged that the BJP could not replicate in Karnataka what he described as its Bihar electoral strategy through the Election Commission, and called for transparent answers to questions raised over the poll panel’s functioning. Hariprasad said the Congress had raised concerns about the Election Commission’s functioning and that such questions could not be addressed through slogans or political counterattacks. He alleged that constitutional institutions were compromising their independence, while the BJP was attempting to divert attention by targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Referring to reported objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, Hariprasad demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar provide transparent answers to the issues surrounding the poll panel’s decisions. The Election Commission has maintained that its decisions, including those related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), were taken collectively and that differing views formed part of its deliberative process. He also criticised Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s demand for an apology from Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the Election Commission, saying the issue could not be diverted by targeting the person who raised the questions. Hariprasad further alleged that inducements were offered to legislators during the 2006 and 2012 Rajya Sabha elections and sought an investigation into Chandrasekhar’s tenure on the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence. These were allegations made by Hariprasad.
