Patna: The Janata Dal (United)-JDU on July 24 served a show-cause notice to its Member of Parliament Girdhari Yadav for criticising Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive which according to the party went against its official stance.
In the notice issued to the lawmaker, the party reminded him about its consistent support to the ECI and the use of EVMs.
“Our party the Janata Dal have consistently supported the ECI and the use of EVMs, both during our time in the INDIA alliance and now as part of the NDA. In this context, your public comments on such a sensitive matter, especially in an election year, not only cause embarrassment to the party but also inadvertently lend credibility to the baseless and politically motivated allegations made by the opposition,” the notice said.
The notice highlighted that the ongoing SIR drive in the state is being conducted under the constitutional provisions and certain opposition parties have been running a sustained campaign to discredit the ECI.
“You are well aware that in exercise of its power under Article 324 of the Constitution and the Representation of People Act 1950, the honourable ECI has ordered a special intensive revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar. You are also aware that certain political parties frustrated by their electoral outcomes have been running a sustained campaign to discredit the ECI, particularly on the issue of EVMs with the sole objective of creating public doubt for the functioning of a constitutional body,” added the notice.
The notice added, that the party views this conduct as a lapse of discipline and not in consonance with its stated position on the matter.
“You are therefore hereby called upon to show cause within 15 days of receipt of this notice, failing which disciplinary action may be initiated against you,” said the notice.
The notice was issued after the JDU MP questioned the reliability of EVMs during a public interaction, along targeting the ongoing SIR drive of ECI.
“The ECI has no practical knowledge. It neither knows the history nor the geography of Bihar. It took 10 days for me to collect all the documents. My son stays in America. How will he do the signatures in just a month?” He questioned.
The MP had also emphasised that the ongoing revision drive should have been started at least six months before the elections. “It is the duty of ECI to ensure that the voters didn’t face and trouble. There’s not much time left for elections. This SIR work should have been done six months back,” he had said.
