Kalpetta: Wayanad MP and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday launched a strong attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that deleting around 13 crore names from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) amounted to a criminal act against democracy and the Constitution. She demanded that the CEC be criminally prosecuted if it is established that he committed illegal acts.

Speaking to the media in Wayanad during her 10-day visit to the constituency, Priyanka said anyone who interfered with the democratic process of elections was committing “treason against the nation”.

“Our stand is very, very clear. I do not think anybody in that position should have legal protection in the way that the Chief Election Commissioner has if they have done illegal acts,” she said.

Referring to the alleged deletion of voters' names, she said: “Tampering with the voters' rolls, deleting, I believe, 13 crore voters, is a criminal act against democracy, against the Constitution and against the nation.” She questioned why an Election Commissioner should have protection from prosecution if an illegal act had been committed

“Since criminal acts fall under a particular law, and people are usually tried and prosecuted for committing those criminal acts, I do not see why the Election Commissioner has to have any protection against it,” she said.

Priyanka further alleged that if the CEC was aware of irregularities in the electoral-roll revision process, had been informed by his colleagues and still allowed them to continue, he should face criminal prosecution.

Her remarks came amid a controversy over the SIR of electoral rolls following reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on multiple occasions over decisions and orders related to the electoral-roll revision process. The Election Commission, however, has rejected suggestions of a division within the Commission, saying it took all its decisions, including those related to SIR, unanimously and followed established statutory procedures.