Around 300 MPs from opposition parties gathered in Delhi on Wednesday to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and demand his resignation, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said.
The protest at Jantar Mantar comes a day after opposition MPs were stopped from marching to the Election Commission’s office and staged an hours-long sit-in at Akashvani Bhavan.
Speaking to reporters after a lunch hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at a restaurant on Janpath, Gandhi said opposition MPs had wanted to meet the Election Commissioners but were not allowed to do so.
“Like I said yesterday, 300 MPs wanted to meet the Election Commissioners but we were not allowed to. So today our plan is to protest at Jantar Mantar,” Gandhi said.
Rahul Gandhi Targets CEC, Modi
Gandhi said the opposition wanted to send a message about its concerns over the Election Commission.
“We want to tell India ‘Gyanesh Kumar is not a legitimate CEC’. These people are traitors. He must resign,” he said.
Gandhi also criticised the police case registered against him following Tuesday’s protest. Claiming that there were already nearly 40 FIRs against him, he said, “My aim is for 100.”
“So every FIR is a medal for me,” Gandhi added.
He also alleged that the Election Commission’s actions were backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Whatever the Election Commission is doing, Narendra Modi is behind it. That means Modi himself is trying to destroy democracy,” Gandhi said.
These are Gandhi’s allegations and have been rejected by the BJP and the government.
Opposition Leaders Meet Before Protest
Before heading to Jantar Mantar, several INDIA bloc leaders met for lunch at a restaurant on Janpath hosted by Kharge.
Congress leaders KC Venugopal and Manickam Tagore attended the meeting along with Left leaders P Sandosh Kumar and V Sivadasan and Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien.
The opposition has been protesting over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and what it calls “vote chori”. The parties are demanding changes to the voter revision process and the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
Tuesday Protest Ended in Detentions
The latest protest follows Tuesday’s march by around 200 opposition MPs from Parliament towards the Election Commission’s office.
The march was stopped by police barricades near Akashvani Bhavan. Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra later entered the government premises and staged a sit-in that continued for nearly nine hours.
Delhi Police eventually detained the two leaders along with other opposition leaders.
An FIR was also registered in connection with the alleged unauthorised entry into the Akashvani Bhavan premises.
The opposition has continued to accuse the Election Commission of irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls. The Election Commission has defended its decisions and said differences of opinion are part of institutional deliberations.
On Wednesday, INDIA bloc leaders continued their mobilisation at Jantar Mantar, with several opposition parties calling for a sustained protest over the electoral roll revision and the demand for the CEC’s resignation.
