Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari has said that the change in the result of Chandigarh Mayor Elections by the Supreme Court indicates that the democracy and Constitution are in danger in the country.
The Congress leader made the remark while speaking to ANI in the state capital Bhopal on Wednesday and also raised concerns about the election system in the country.
“Time has come when the patriots should worry about the election system in the country. Of those who believe in the country’s constitution and democracy, 70 percent of them question EVM and the election system. I would like to thank the Supreme Court which imposed the allegation on the government murder of the country’s democracy on the way the mayor’s election was looted in Chandigarh. The change in the result by the Supreme Court indicates that democracy and the Constitution are in danger,” Patwari said.
“I request the 70 percent of the common people of the country who are expressing concern over the electoral system of democracy to come out on the streets. We all should criticise the government,” he added.
A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra had quashed the decision by Returning Officer Anil Masih, who declared BJP candidate Manoj Kumar Sonkar as Chandigarh Mayor on January 30.
The order of the apex court came as it found that the Returning Officer had deliberately defaced eight ballots that were cast in favour of Kuldeep Kumar so as to make them invalid.
The Supreme Court further directed the Registrar Judicial to issue notice to Anil Masih for perjury proceedings under Section 340 CrPC for making a false statement before the court that the mark was made on eight ballots as they were defaced. The bench slammed Masih saying he had “unlawfully altered the course of the mayoral election”.
Meanwhile, reacting to farmers’ protest, the Congress leader targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he promised to double the minimum support price of farmers during 2014 elections but did not fulfil it.
“The Prime Minister of our country had said in the 2014 elections that what mistake has the farmer made? Why should they not get the benefit of their crop? He had said that the support price of crops should be doubled. Five years passed, nothing was done. There were movements in the country several times, talks were held with the government to implement the MSP but not implemented,” Patwari said.
“Later, the government brought three black farm laws and a movement against it lasted for one and a half years. After that the Prime Minister of the country apologised and said that to implement the Minimum Support Price very soon. Then again, three and a half years have passed and the government and the Prime Minister have not spoken a single word. Now when the farmers say to do what promised, then the Prime Minister uses weapons on them. They prepare the battlefield and torture them. Over 700 farmers had died earlier, now the government is going to start the same serial killing again,” the Congress leader alleged. (ANI)
