Government has agreed to discuss electoral reforms only after a discussion on Vande Mataram. How does the Congress see this?
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Congress and other Opposition parties are very clear we need to discuss SIR and other electoral reforms in Parliament. The process of elections needs to be relooked and revisited. Every autonomous institution has been compromised—CBI, ED, I-T… The latest example is the EC being misused and compromised. It is helping one political party. We have brought to light multiple issues related to EC. (Lok Sabha LoP) Rahul Gandhi has shown the truth about the EC.
What are some of the main issues Congress and Opposition plan to highlight during the debate on electoral reforms?
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We have called this entire system vote chori. The way the names are being removed from and added to electoral rolls, the way elections are being conducted, targeted revision… There are so many things we want to highlight in the House.
Will Opposition wholeheartedly take part in the discussion on Vande Mataram?
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We will take part in any debate the government proposes… on any topic. We have never run from the government agenda like Bills. But the Opposition also has issues related to the people, which must be taken up… You should compare how the governments before 2014 accommodated the Opposition agenda and how this government functions.
The Sanchar Saathi app has seen criticism from the Opposition. Will Congress want to discuss it in House?
Congress is very clear—this is a snooping app. They want to control our lives, watch us, and everything happening in the country. No one will be spared. In the garb of making it mandatory, the government will do selective snooping. That is what they are known for… We have several issues. I won’t say SIR is the only issue. It is the most important issue. But there are other issues too: national security, foreign policy, tariffs, air pollution… You can’t keep changing foreign policy as per your ego and style and it can’t be tailored to suit a few people. Important issues which aren’t very convenient to the government need to be discussed.
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Are all Opposition parties on the same page? The TMC didn’t participate in the INDIA bloc floor leaders’ meetings.
You have to remember that we are not one political party. Some are very important in a state or some states. We are a pan-India party. We lose somewhere and gain somewhere. Every party will have an ideology on issues. The government can’t say Opposition is speaking in different voices. This is a divide and rule tactic… All Opposition parties are united on issues. For some parties, like parties from states, where elections are due, some issues may be more important. It is about priorities for parties, but SIR is the most important issue for all parties.
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