Delhi Mayor slams Congress, AAP for bid to ‘tarnish’ ECI image

New Delhi: Delhi Mayor Pravesh Wahi on Monday condemned attempts by opposition parties, particularly the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress, to tarnish the Election Commission of India's image under the pretext of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Addressing a press conference in the presence of Deputy Mayor Monica Pant, the Mayor said this is not the first instance of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attempting to undermine the dignity of constitutional institutions, as this has been their old habit.

Wahi said that when Arvind Kejriwal was the Chief Minister of Delhi, he made every possible attempt to weaken the Municipal Corporation of Delhi by withholding its funds, despite the MCD being the first constitutional tier of democracy.

Later, when the AAP emerged as the largest party in the 2022 Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections, Kejriwal did not allow the constitutional formation of the Municipal Corporation for nearly two years, undermining the civic agency's autonomy.

In a joint statement, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor said that Congress leaders are today describing SIR as a threat to democracy.

“They should explain whether there could be any greater attack on democracy than the Emergency imposed by their leader and former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi,” said Wahi.

The Mayor said that Opposition parties, which have been losing elections from Panchayats, Municipalities and Municipal Corporations to State Assemblies for the last 12 years, first sought to tarnish the image of the Election Commission under the pretext of EVM hacking and are now trying to use SIR as a weapon, but they will never succeed.

Wahi said the country has not forgotten that the Congress, which is questioning the Election Commission today, first appointed S.L. Shakdhar and M.S. Gill as Election Commissioners and allegedly misused their powers, later rewarding them with important positions after their retirement. At the same time, the country also remembers how strict Election Commissioner T.N. Seshan was subjected to harassment.

Delhi BJP Media Head Praveen Shankar Kapoor, who conducted the press conference, also criticised the Opposition parties' double standards.

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