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New Delhi: A group of 272 retired judges, former Army officers, bureaucrats, and diplomats wrote an open letter to Rahul Gandhi and slammed him and the Congress for accusing the Election Commission of 'vote chori' and siding with the ruling BJP. In the open letter, the eminent citizens criticised Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and his 'vote chori' campaign and added that the allegations were an "attempt to drape political frustration in the garb of institutional crisis".
The 272 signatories to the open letter include 123 former bureaucrats, 16 retired judges, 14 former ambassadors, and 133 retired Army officers. Via the open letter, the signatories said that Gandhi has repeatedly attacked the election body and went on to say that he has proof that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is involved in vote theft.
Bashing the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, the letter said, “Some political leaders, instead of offering genuine policy alternative, resort to provocative but unsubstantiated accusations in their theatrical political strategy. After their attempts to tarnish the Indian Armed Forces by questioning their valour and accomplishments, and the Judiciary by questioning its fairness, Parliament, and its constitutional functionaries, now it is the turn of Election Commission of India to face systematic and conspiratorial attacks on its integrity and reputation.”
The letter also called Gandhi’s ‘atom bomb’ remarks as "unbelievably uncouth rhetoric". It added, "Yet, despite such scathing accusations, there has been no formal complaint filed by him, along with the prescribed sworn affidavit, to escape his accountability for levelling unsubstantiated allegations and threatening public servants in performance of their duty."
The letter added, “Moreover, several senior figures of Congress and other political parties, leftist NGOs, ideologically opinionated scholars, and a few attention seekers in other walks of life, have joined in with similarly blistering rhetoric against SIR, even declaring that the Commission has descended into complete shamelessness by acting like the “B-team of the BJP". Such fiery rhetoric may be emotionally powerful - but it collapses under scrutiny, because the ECI has publicly shared its SIR methodology, overseen verification by court- sanctioned means, removed ineligible names in a compliant manner, and added new eligible voters. This suggests that these accusations are an attempt to drape political frustration in the garb of institutional crisis.”
The open letter added, “This pattern of behaviour reflects what might be called “impotent rage” - deep anger born of repeated electoral failure and frustration, without a concrete plan to reconnect with the people. When political leaders lose touch with the aspirations of ordinary citizens, they lash out at institutions instead of rebuilding their credibility. Theatrics replace analysis. Public spectacle takes the place of public service.”
The letter further said, “The irony is stark: when electoral outcomes are favourable in certain States where opposition -driven political parties form governments, criticism of the Election Commission disappears. When they are unfavourable in certain States, the Commission becomes the villain in every narrative. This selective outrage exposes opportunism, not conviction. It is a convenient deflection: to give the impression that loss is not a result of strategy, but conspiracy.”
