Right to vote in India under threat, make it a fundamental right: Congress
New Delhi: The Congress has said that the right to vote in India is facing a serious challenge and called for it to be elevated to the status of a fundamental right.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, questioning the functioning of the poll body, said the EC’s credibility had declined and its present leadership was not acting as a neutral umpire. He claimed that the deterioration had begun earlier, but had deepened now, with the commission no longer appearing independent in its role.
He said that the Opposition would persist with its efforts to remove the Chief Election Commissioner, confirming that parties had submitted a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, upper house of the Indian parliament, seeking a motion for his removal. He maintained that the demand stemmed from concerns over institutional integrity and impartiality in the conduct of elections.
Linking the issue to the larger question of voting rights, the Congress leader referred to Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s earlier remarks on identifying and removing illegal immigrants. He asked the government to disclose how many such individuals had been identified, struck off electoral rolls, and deported. He argued that the lack of transparency raised concerns about the sanctity of the electoral process.
He asserted that the right to vote, currently treated as a statutory provision, should be granted constitutional protection as a fundamental right to prevent any future attempts at disenfranchisement. Such a move would make the right enforceable in courts and provide stronger safeguards for citizens, he said.
He said the time had come to revisit that decision and ensure that the right to vote was firmly protected within the framework of fundamental rights, arguing that this would act as a safeguard against any erosion of democratic participation.
