Telangana BJP’s Ramchander Rao accused Congress of creating ‘anarchy’ by discrediting the ECI. In response, the INDIA bloc plans a protest march to the poll body, demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged electoral roll irregularities.
Ahead of the opposition INDIA bloc’s scheduled protest march to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Telangana BJP President Ramchander Rao on Monday accused the Congress party of deliberately trying to create an “atmosphere of anarchy” by discrediting key constitutional institutions.
Speaking to ANI, Rao alleged that the Congress is spreading misinformation regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls purely for political mileage. “Today, the Congress party is making every effort to revive its old narrative in the country… There is an attempt to discredit constitutional institutions such as the Election Commission of India, the Supreme Court, and the office of the President. Through this, they are trying to create an atmosphere of anarchy in the country… They are making every effort to spread misinformation about the SIR for their own political benefit,” Rao said.
BJP Leader Compares Regimes to Defend Poll Body
Hitting back at the opposition’s allegations regarding the poll body’s neutrality, the BJP leader drew a comparison with past regimes, pointing to the political rehabilitation of officials under Congress governments. “Congress has given Rajya Sabha seats and other positions to several people before and after their retirement. They were given posts and rehabilitated in various ways. However, the BJP government has not provided post-retirement positions to anyone who has retired from the Election Commission since its formation,” he claimed.
Urging political parties to respect institutional sanctity, Rao said, “Whether it is Gyanesh Kumar or anyone else, politicians across the country should work to maintain the transparency and credibility of the Election Commission of India. Unfortunately, the Congress party is using this issue for its own political purposes.”
‘Gyanesh Kumar Must Resign’: INDIA Bloc Hits Back
However, rebutting the ruling party’s allegations, Congress MP Jebi Mather maintained that the poll panel’s leadership had compromised democratic processes and reiterated the demand for the CEC to step down. “Our first and foremost primary demand is that Gyanesh Kumar should resign. He cannot continue as Election Commissioner of India with this kind of destroying the election system, destroying the democracy. It is clearly understood by the citizens and the country how he is manipulating things to suit the BJP’s agenda. So Gyanesh Kumar will have to resign—that is our most important demand. Also the way the election system works, the unfairness – all these we are putting before in this protest,” Mather told ANI.
Backing the protest march, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar added, “This march has been unanimously decided by the INDIA alliance. Gyanesh Kumar has chosen to act at the behest of the BJP in an attempt to destroy democracy. The SIR process must be cleansed, its shortcomings must be rectified, and vote theft must stop. This march is being taken out with these demands.”
Levelling serious charges against the ruling dispensation, Wadettiwar alleged that the voter revision process had been misused in previous state elections. “They used SIR to capture Bihar and West Bengal. In a democracy, the electoral process must remain free and fair. Only then can democracy survive. If the Modi government itself has come to power through vote theft, then the Modi government must be removed. Protests have begun across the country. This government will have to go, and Gyanesh Kumar will have to go. This is the decision taken by the INDIA alliance,” the Congress leader asserted.
Opposition March to ECI over Alleged Poll Irregularities
Meanwhile, security has been tightened outside the Election Commission of India office, ahead of the INDIA bloc MPs’ protest march from Makar Dwar. Opposition leaders and MPs are set to march towards Nirvachan Sadan, the headquarters of the Election Commission of India (ECI), in the national capital on Tuesday morning, as part of their ongoing protest over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and their demand for the sacking of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The INDIA bloc march has also got a fillip with the Biju Janata Dal and Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav committing its support to the march.
The march comes amid the Opposition’s sustained campaign against alleged discrepancies in electoral rolls and its demand for greater transparency from the poll panel.
Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties will participate in the march and raise their concerns before the Election Commission (EC).
The protest is part of a broader “Save Democracy” campaign announced by the Opposition, under which its leaders have been holding demonstrations and public programmes against the EC.
The march to Nirvachan Sadan is expected to further intensify the political confrontation between the Opposition and the poll panel over electoral roll-related issues. (ANI)
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