'Theatrics replace analysis. Public spectacle takes the place of public service.'
Former judges, retired bureaucrats and veteran armed forces officers lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for unleashing what they claimed his 'impotent rage born out of repeated electoral failure' to tarnish the dignity of the Election Commission.
In a joint statement, 272 personalities said the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha has repeatedly attacked the Election Commission over accusations of 'vote theft' using 'unbelievably uncouth rhetoric' and by claiming that he would 'hound' officers when they superannuate from the poll authority.
'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 group of citizens said.
'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,' said the statement signed by National Green Tribunal Chairman Adarsh Kumar Goel, former judges S N Dhingra, Hemant Gupta, Rajiv Lochan, former R&AW chief Sanjeev Tripathi, and former NIA director Y C Modi among others.
They claimed that 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 Rahul Gandhi with similarly blistering rhetoric against special intensive revision and even declared 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,' the statement said.
It alleged Rahul Gandhi's actions suggests that the accusations against the EC were an attempt to drape political frustration in the garb of institutional crisis.
When political leaders lose touch with the aspirations of ordinary citizens, the group stated they lash out at institutions instead of rebuilding their credibility.
'Theatrics replace analysis. Public spectacle takes the place of public service,' the statement said, referring to Gandhi's attempts to target the Indian armed forces, the judiciary, Parliament and its functionaries.
'Civil society reaffirms its unshakeable faith in the Indian armed forces, the Indian judiciary and executive, and specifically the Election Commission, in its integrity, and in its role as guardian of democracy,' this group said.