Compulsory voting is against fundamental rights, says Congress

AHMEDABAD: Congress today objected to the Gujarat government's move to make voting compulsory for registered voters in the state, saying that it violated fundamental rights of citizens.

On the government notification in this regard, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Shankersinh Vaghela, alleged that the decision was taken by the government in haste, without giving it much thought.

"The government can turn any bill into an Act using its majority in the House, but they should not hurt sentiments of the people. This decision by government is against the fundamental rights of citizens. It will not surprise me if people turn against the BJP government which wants to punish those who do not vote in elections," Vaghela said.

"This is a hastily taken decision without doing any homework. I wonder how a large number of tribals, who roam across the state and do not have any permanent location, will be able to vote. Did the government pay any attention to this issue and made any provisions," Vaghela told reporters here.

The senior Congress leader also raised objections to comments of Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, who claimed during a BJP party meet that development in Gujarat took place only after the BJP came into power in 1995.

"The BJP government has only cheated the people of Gujarat and now their leaders are doing the same with the entire country. After 2002, no significant pro-people work was done by this government. Farmers prospered because of regular monsoons, and not because of this government," Vaghela said.