New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) Members of Left parties, including the CPI and CPI-M, gathered outside the Election Commission of India (ECI) office on Tuesday and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Speaking to IANS, CPI-M leader Brinda Karat noted that nearly 13 crore citizens had been removed from the voter list.
“Right now, almost 13 crore citizens of our country have been removed from the voter list. The situation made right now is worse than during the British era,” she said.
CPI-M General Secretary M.A. Baby also targeted the CEC, saying: “Gyanesh Kumar cannot continue; we will not allow him to continue.”
The protest comes amid a broader Opposition campaign against the SIR exercise and demands for action against the CEC.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday demanded the immediate removal of Gyanesh Kumar, alleging irregularities in the SIR, and also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation on moral grounds over alleged pressure on the poll panel chief.
Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Kharge said the party would intensify its campaign against the CEC and the government, including by taking up the issue on the streets and in Parliament.
On September 25, the Congress had led nationwide protests demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, accusing him of compromising the integrity of the electoral process. Civil society groups and other organisations also held parallel protests in Delhi and several states.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear next week a petition challenging the functioning of the CEC and questioning the legality of the nationwide SIR.
The controversy intensified after an Indian leading daily reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on at least 14 occasions over decisions and orders concerning the SIR during the past 10 months. According to the report, the two commissioners had alleged that some decisions were taken without their knowledge or recommendation.
The ECI, however, has maintained that its decisions on the SIR were taken in accordance with the law and has characterised differences within the Commission as part of its internal deliberations.
–IANS
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