Ravi Shankar Prasad slams opposition over Bihar bandh, alleges pressure tactics on judiciary

New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) Senior BJP MP and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a scathing attack on the INDIA bloc over the Bihar Bandh on Wednesday, accusing them of trying to pressure the judiciary ahead of a crucial Supreme Court hearing on the voter list revision scheduled for Thursday.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, Prasad questioned the intent behind the bandh, saying, “When the matter is already before the Supreme Court, why are the Congress, RJD, and other parties taking to the streets? Do they want names of infiltrators to remain on the voter rolls?”

Prasad alleged that the opposition was playing politics to defend illegally added names in the voter list, mentioning Rohingyas and other such individuals. “The simple truth is that they know they are losing ground in Bihar -- just as they did in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Delhi,” he said.

He highlighted that out of Bihar’s 7.9 crore voters, over 4 crore have already submitted the enumeration form in the ongoing revision drive -- showing more than 50 per cent voluntary participation with 16 days still left. He praised the Election Commission’s work, calling the process “intensive and transparent”.

Responding to opposition claims about inaccuracy in the voter list and irregularities in EVMs, Prasad said, “If the process is open and fair, what is the objection? There are multiple levels of grievance redressal -- from BLOs to the District Collector to the Chief Electoral Officer.”

The former minister also clarified that those whose names existed in the 2003 voter list do not need to submit fresh documents. “Today, most people have valid documents like bank papers, pension records, or school certificates," he said.

Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, Prasad said street politics won’t help when the judiciary is already seized of the matter.

Attacking the opposition on the issue of EVMs, he said, “Sometimes, they raise questions about EVMs. And now, when an intensive and transparent revision process is underway and over 50 per cent of the people have voluntarily filled out the forms, they still have objections?”

--IANS

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