‘Himanta Biswa Sarma will also be exposed’: Rakibul Hussain on Gyanesh Kumar controversy

Congress MP Rakibul Hussain on Saturday, September 26 alleged that the recent reports of differences within the Election Commission of India (ECI) vindicated concerns earlier raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the functioning of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Hussain said the BJP had earlier sought to dismiss Rahul Gandhi's remarks concerning Kumar's functioning, but claimed that reported objections by other Election Commissioners had now brought similar concerns into focus.

“When Rahul Gandhi remarked on what Gyanesh Kumar was doing, the BJP propagated the narrative among the common people that the statement was incorrect. Now, with other members on the Election Commission, dissent has emerged from within the Commission itself,” Hussain said.

His remarks come amid a political row over reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on several occasions over decisions concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. A report by The Indian Express said the two commissioners had formally raised objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period.

The Election Commission, however, has rejected the characterisation of the differences as institutional dissent, saying that differing views, observations and technical suggestions are part of the decision-making process in a multi-member constitutional body. The poll panel has maintained that its final decisions, including those relating to the SIR exercise, were taken unanimously.

Hussain also linked the controversy to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's defence of Gyanesh Kumar. Sarma has said that the Chief Election Commissioner cannot independently take decisions without the involvement of the other Election Commissioners and argued that decisions of the poll panel are taken collectively through consensus or majority.

“Once Gyanesh Kumar’s actions came under scrutiny, look at how Himanta Biswa Sarma is behaving because he, too, will be exposed,” Hussain said.

The Congress leader further alleged, “A thief’s friend is a thief,” while targeting the Assam chief minister over his stance on the issue.