Jharkhand Minister Irfan Ansari threatened to bring CEC Gyanesh Kumar to Ranchi amid INDIA bloc protests in Delhi, demanding his resignation over alleged voter roll manipulation and institutional bias against the Election Commission of India.
Opposition Intensifies Pressure on Election Commission
Triggering a massive political controversy, Jharkhand Cabinet Minister Irfan Ansari on Sunday warned that India could witness unrest similar to Bangladesh or Nepal, threatening that he would forcibly “take Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar to Ranchi” with 10,000 supporters if the poll chief refuses to step down from his post. Speaking to ANI in the national capital during the opposition INDIA bloc’s mass mobilisation, the Congress leader escalated the offensive against the election watchdog, asserting that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi is resolute on securing the CEC’s immediate resignation over allegations of institutional bias and voter roll manipulation.
“… People have marched toward Delhi, and we harbour a deep fear that our India might end up in a situation like Bangladesh or Nepal. We demand the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar. Rahul Gandhi is determined to secure his resignation today, no matter what,” Ansari said. Issuing an open threat, the Congress leader and state cabinet minister added, “If he refuses to step down, I, Irfan Ansari, have arrived here with 10,000 people, and we will take Gyanesh Kumar with us to Ranchi.”
Allegations of Voter Roll Manipulation
Ansari’s comments come amid high-voltage protests by leaders and party workers of the opposition INDIA bloc in New Delhi, intensifying their offensive against the Election Commission of India over alleged voter roll manipulation and institutional bias. Accusing the central government of systematically attempting to suppress youth participation in the democratic process, Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President and MP V. Vaithilingam on Sunday alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is being manipulated to deliberately exclude young voters from the electoral rolls.
“…They (central govt) are not interested in getting their votes; they get their support. At the same time, they try to avoid the young people. That is the idea behind that, SIR? In the SIR, they intentionally change Form 6, Form 7 and Form 8. They intend to avoid the young voters and to avoid the youth of India, the younger generation. The younger generation should be saved, and they will get the right, and they will definitely rule the future of India,” he said.
Demands for Reform and Regime Change
Stepping up pressure on the poll panel ahead of the INDIA bloc’s mega rally in the national capital, Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Narayan Das Ahirwar on Sunday asserted that CEC Gyanesh Kumar must be removed from his post and all arbitrarily deleted votes must be restored immediately. “You must have seen in the House that we collectively demanded that Gyanesh Kumar should step down; he ought to resign. But he doesn’t seem to grasp this. Our firm stance and ongoing effort are that Gyanesh Kumar must be removed, and the votes that were deleted must be restored. Akhilesh Yadav and various other leaders are participating; in fact, everyone from our party and the entire INDIA alliance will be taking part…”, he said.
Earlier, MP Sanjay Raut said, “Lakhs of people are arriving. There are significant attempts to stop them, but the more they try to block people, the larger the crowd will grow. People will break through all the barricades to get here. They want a regime change. They do not want this govt. The strength we are set to demonstrate at the Ramlila Maidan today is the strength of the nation, not just that of any single party. It is the nation’s strength; the people of this country will be there… Such national-level programs will continue to be held in Delhi, right before the eyes of PM Modi and Amit Shah”. He added, “There are no real concerns among the traders; in this country, the only two ‘traders’ are Modi ji and Shah ji. They are certainly suffering losses. If such movements cause them losses, then so be it…” (ANI)
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