New Delhi, Oct 30 (PTI) The INDIA bloc on Friday asserted that it stood united against vote theft and would hold a “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 31, claiming that the countdown to the ouster of the poll panel chief was accelerating.
The opposition grouping announced that it had postponed its “public impeachment” of Kumar to Saturday due to rain on Friday. It invited common people, including the youth, women and students, besides members of civil society to participate in the protest march and public rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday.
The weekend protest is likely to give a fresh boost to the opposition protests against “vote chori”, the SIR exercise and the CEC. The Opposition has held a series of protests on the issue and held marches and dharnas, besides meeting President Droupadi Murmu and filing a petition before the Supreme Court.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said “this is not multiple protests” but “one protest” and asserted that the entire Opposition stood united in protecting the votes of every Indian and in defending the Constitution.
He asserted that the Ramlila rally would be a big one despite attempts by the government and Home Minister Amit Shah to stop people from other states from joining in.
“By consensus we have decided to postpone today’s programme to tomorrow because of rain. We felt that it would be uncomfortable for seniors to sit in the rain, and we would do the exact same programme tomorrow,” Gandhi said at a joint press conference with INDIA bloc leaders outside Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s 10, Rajaji Marg residence here.
Gandhi said, on November 1, “We have a Chalo Dilli march to Ramlila ground and everyone who wishes to join is welcome, whether political or non-political”.
“Both the programmes are about the demolition of Indian democracy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and his crew in the Election Commission,” the Congress leader alleged.
Gandhi also alleged that the Home Minister is trying his best to stop people from coming into Delhi.
“Our party people and thousands of common people… are being stopped. Now you watch what happens at Ramlila Maidan, you watch how many people come and how many people they stop, and you will understand what is going on in the country. There is huge anger and huge emotional pain because millions are being disenfranchised and their vote is being stolen from them to help Mr Adani, Mr Ambani, Mr Modi, Mr Shah, and Mr Bhagwat,” Gandhi alleged.
“This is not multiple protests. This is one protest. The entire Opposition is standing here. Anybody who wants to protest, any person is welcome to come here. We are all standing here because we are defending the Constitution, we are defending the idea of India. We are defending the vote, which is the expression of all Indians,” he said.
Gandhi said if someone felt their one vote would not matter he would tell them that they are ignorant and they don’t understand how their vote protects them and how it looks after them and what services it provides.
“The vote is your identity, it is the fundamental architecture of your citizenship. You are protected by it and it is your duty to protect it,” he said.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that due to incessant rain, the “public impeachment” of Gyanesh Kumar organised by the INDIA “janbandhan” has been rescheduled to October 31 at 2:30 pm.
“The countdown to the exit of Gyanesh Kumar, who has so blatantly and brazenly subverted and sabotaged the Constitution of India on the instructions of the PM-HM duo, is accelerating,” Ramesh said.
“It is not at all surprising that the BJP ecosystem organised a mock Parliament today. After all, the PM-HM have consistently mocked Parliament since 2014, bulldozing Bills through, denying debates on urgent issues of public importance, denigrating Parliamentary institutions and converting both chambers into arenas for self-glorification,” Ramesh said in another post.
Standing alongside Gandhi during the press conference, the TMC’s Derek O’Brien said the INDIA bloc is in this together.
“Civil society, students, youth, workers, housewives — we are all in this together. You heard what Mr Gandhi (Rahul Gandhi) and a representative of Mr Akhilesh Yadav said. I am representing Mamata Banerjee and the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). The Shiv Sena, JMM, RSP, CPI, RJD, CPIM(L)and others.
“This is a political plus. We all are in this together and we will win together,” O’Brien said.
Representing the Samajwadi Party, MP Dharmendra Yadav said the public has realised that the victory that BJP boasts about is nothing but election manipulation and management. From EVMs to voter lists, everything is manipulated, he alleged.
“Through the results of the UP MLC elections, teachers and graduates have made it clear — how far behind the BJP is in UP,” Yadav said.
Several INDIA bloc leaders such as Kharge, Gandhi, Congress general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, the TMC’s O’Brien and Mahua Moitra, the SP’s Yadav, the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant, the CPI(M)’s John Brittas, the CPI’s P Sandosh Kumar, the RJD’s Sanjay Yadav, the RSP’s N K Premchandran, among others, held a meeting and discussed the INDIA bloc’s preparations for the protest.
INDIA bloc leaders had also met on Thursday to give final shape to the proceedings, which are to be held at Kharge’s residence as a symbolic protest over the “vote chori” issue.
Sources said former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar will chair the INDIA bloc’s “public impeachment” of Gyanesh Kumar. While Kharge will move the ‘motion’ to impeach Gyanesh Kumar, Gandhi will make the concluding remarks before it is passed.
Besides Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, one person from each party is likely to speak at the “public impeachment” of the CEC.
The Congress on Tuesday claimed it was denied permission to hold the “public impeachment” of the CEC and accused the government of trying to silence the voice of common people after “destroying” the electoral system. PTI ASK AO SKC SAP SAP
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