New Delhi [India], September 25 (ANI): Congress workers staged protests across several states on Friday as part of a nationwide programme demanding the resignation and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, amid the ongoing political row over the Election Commission’s functioning and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Protests were seen in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh and Manipur, among other states, with party workers marching towards Election Commission offices and raising slogans against the CEC.
In Dehradun, Uttarakhand Congress leaders and workers, led by state in-charge Kumari Selja and Pradesh Congress Committee president Ganesh Godiyal, marched from the PCC headquarters towards the Election Office at the state Secretariat to gherao the office.
Uttarakhand PCC president Ganesh Godiyal said, “Rahul Gandhi has been saying this for the past three years that under vote theft, the Election Commission is getting BJP governments installed, and this fact has been proven true today. I salute Rahul Gandhi for his steadfastness… Certainly, this will benefit the nation. We want neutral and clean elections. If clean and neutral elections are held, it will have its own impact.”
Leader of Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly, Yashpal Arya said, “For three years, Rahul Gandhi has been highlighting the conduct of the Chief Election Commissioner, specifically how rules regarding ‘Form 6’ were disregarded and how votes were deleted or added via the SIR process. Although the other two Election Commissioners raised objections 14 times over a ten-month period, the Chief Election Commissioner ignored them. It has now come to light that 13 crore votes were deleted over the past few years, and the BJP central government manipulated the electoral process… a criminal case for sedition should be registered against him, and he ought to be dismissed immediately.”
In Lucknow, Congress workers gathered at the party’s state office and staged a demonstration over the SIR exercise, with plans also reported to lay siege to the State Election Commission office in Hazratganj.
In Manipur, Congress workers led by Pradesh Congress Committee president Okram Ibobi Singh and Congress Legislature Party leader Keisham Meghachandra Singh marched towards the Chief Electoral Office at Lamphelpat, demanding the arrest and prosecution of Kumar.
The protest came with a rally carrying slogans of immediate arrest of Gyanesh Kumar and also burnt the effigy of Gyanesh Kumar. The protest became violent, and the protesters scuffled with police; later, the police personnel resorted to firing tear gas shells.
Furthermore, in Jammu, heavy police deployment was made outside the Election Commission office during a Congress protest.
Congress leader Chaudhary Lal Singh said demonstrations were being held across the country wherever Election Commission offices were located.
“Demonstrations are taking place everywhere, statewide and nationwide, wherever there is an Election Commission office. The reason for these protests is the rigging orchestrated by the Election Commission in collusion with the government; they have misused the people’s right to vote. The manner in which the government was formed is utterly absurd; a losing government was declared the winner, while the actual winners lost. This gross injustice has now been proven,” he told ANI.
In Srinagar, Congress MLAs staged a protest inside the Legislative Assembly and raised banners demanding the immediate resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Congress leaders and workers also staged protests in Guwahati, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Lucknow and Kolkata, demanding the resignation of Kumar.
The protest was organised as part of the nationwide programme directed by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), which asked state units to hold marches to their respective Election Commission offices.
The protests come amid reports that The Indian Express on Thursday said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the SIR process.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected the characterisation of these objections as evidence of institutional dissent, saying operational queries, internal feedback and administrative suggestions during the drafting process are part of the normal functioning of a multi-member constitutional body. The ECI has maintained that all final decisions, including those concerning SIR, were unanimous.
The Congress has also indicated that opposition parties may move an impeachment motion against Kumar in both Houses of Parliament, as per sources.
The controversy over SIR and the Election Commission’s internal functioning is expected to be taken up at the Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled for September 29 in New Delhi. (ANI)
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