Ramdas Athawale: Election Commission independent, government has no role in SIR row

Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale has spoken out on the demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and the issue of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). He said the SIR is a matter for the Election Commission and that the government has no role in it. Athawale called Rahul Gandhi's demand for the resignation a political issue, and said Gyanesh Kumar should explain his own position on the matter.

Speaking on the SIR, Athawale said its purpose is to make the voter list transparent. According to him, the names of those entitled to vote must remain on the list, while names added on the basis of fake documents, or of voters who have died, should be removed. He also said that if an unusually large number of names are registered at the same address, that too should be investigated.

On the dispute within the Election Commission's panel, Athawale said the decision on the SIR was taken jointly by the Chief Election Commissioner and the two Election Commissioners. He said reports had later emerged of the two Election Commissioners being unhappy, but clarified that in the end all three had announced the SIR together.

Athawale further said Gyanesh Kumar has already stated his position on the SIR and that the government has nothing to do with the entire process. He reiterated that under the Constitution, the Election Commission is an independent body, and that there is no such direct interference between the government and the Election Commission.

On Rahul Gandhi's demand for his resignation, Gyanesh Kumar had said it was being turned into a political issue. The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has warned that it will seek Gyanesh Kumar's resignation within the next 48 hours. On this, Athawale said the CJP had earlier launched an agitation over the paper leak issue, and had received support from across the country at that time.

Following that CJP agitation, the then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation had been demanded, and the CJP's demand was met. Athawale questioned this, saying the CJP seems to have been formed only to demand resignations. He remarked sarcastically that if it is going to keep demanding someone's resignation every time, the organisation should be renamed "Rajinama Janata Party".