A letter signed by 272 eminent persons was sent to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. They pointed out that by repeatedly claiming "vote theft" in his campaigning, he showed political dissatisfaction rather than factual issues.
It comprised 16 retired judges, 123 former civil services officers, 133 retired military officers, and 14 former ambassadors. The charges, they said, assailed the democratic system of India and its foundational institutions. Rahul Gandhi, they further said, is making accusations but not setting out policy alternatives.
The latter referred to the statements of Rahul during the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, where he accused vote theft. The signatories said no official complaint was filed against him for those accusations and for making remarks about government employees nor for repeated criticism of the Election Commission and a claim that he has strong evidence of vote manipulation.
The letter defended the Election Commission on this count. It said that the Commission did not threaten anybody and had acted within its responsibilities. It also explained the SIR of the voters’ list. According to the signatories, the EC and the Supreme Court had already clarified the process. They said that only ineligible voters would be removed and eligible new voters would be added.
The group said the allegations appeared to be a cover-up for political dissatisfaction. "When election results went in his favour, Rahul Gandhi did not mention anything. When they did not, he instead blamed the Election Commission." This, according to them, was an opportunistic approach. The signatories asked the political leadership to respect constitutional processes, advance policy-based arguments and accept democratic verdicts.
