TMC MPs protest over alleged duplicate voter ID issue, present memo to EC

New Delhi [India], April 4 (ANI): Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs on Friday staged a protest in the Parliament premises over the alleged duplicate voter ID card issue.
TMC Congress MP Kirti Azad said that the duplicate voter card ID issue was a big scam by the central government.
Speaking to ANI, the Trinamool MP said, "This is a very big scam by the central government. We have demanded no links from the Aadhar Card, and the Election Commission has told us that they will work on this in the next 90 days..."
"Today, the All India Trinamool Congress went to the Election Commission, we presented a memorandum to the Election Commission, asking that the issue of duplicate EPIC cards be taken up. We have also asked that Aadhar cards not be linked with EPIC cards. We participated in a peaceful march today. Today, we were going to raise the same issue in the House of duplicate EPIC cards, we had been raising this issue but today we found the treasury benches, the government itself disrupting the House without giving any notice."
"The House has been adjourned because of the Modi government, the treasury benches, the BJP... this is shocking and the treasury benches themselves are disrupting the Parliament."
Trinamool Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said, "Today, the All India Trinamool Congress went to the Election Commission, we presented a memorandum to the Election Commission, asking that the issue of duplicate EPIC cards be taken up. We have also asked that Aadhar cards not be linked with EPIC cards. We participated in a peaceful march today. Today, we were going to raise the same issue in the House of duplicate EPIC cards, we had been raising this issue but today we found the treasury benches, the government itself disrupting the House without giving any notice."
"The House has been adjourned because of the Modi government, the treasury benches, the BJP... this is shocking and the treasury benches themselves are disrupting the Parliament," she said.
Earlier, on March 10, as the opposition raised allegations of manipulation of the electoral rolls, sources in the Election Commission said that the matter related to the duplicate voter identity card numbers was a 'legacy issue' with such cards being issued even between 2008 and 2013, when the BJP-NDA was not in power.
In the past, the poll body also directed states to remove all discrepancies in the elector's photo identity card during annual electoral roll updates.
The poll body had recently clarified that irrespective of the EPIC number, an elector can cast a vote only at their designated polling station.
To allay any apprehensions, all cases of duplicate EPIC numbers will be resolved within three months' time by ensuring a unique EPIC number for the existing electors having duplicate EPIC numbers and for future electors as well, the EC had said.
The issue of duplicate numbers found an echo in Parliament with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, demanding a discussion in the House on voter lists, on which several political parties have raised certain questions.
He said, "The question is being raised on the voter list in every state. In Maharashtra, questions were raised about the black and white voter lists. The entire opposition is just saying that there should be a discussion on the voter's list." (ANI)