The INDIA bloc on Saturday organised a symbolic “public impeachment” against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The opposition accused him of favouring the Modi government and said his actions were putting people’s voting rights at risk.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar led the proceedings at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Several INDIA bloc leaders, MPs, civil society members and people who claimed that their names were removed from voter lists also took part in the meeting.
The meeting was held a day before the opposition’s rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday. Through the rally, INDIA bloc leaders aim to put more pressure on the government and demand the removal of Gyanesh Kumar.
Kharge Accuses CEC Gyanesh Kumar Of Treason
Moving the motion, Kharge accused the Chief Election Commissioner of treason and read out the charges against him. He demanded Kumar’s removal, the repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of election commissioners and an end to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha alleged that Kumar was running the Election Commission at the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“Today, the right to vote is under threat because CEC Gyanesh Kumar is running the Election Commission on the directions of Modi and Shah,” Kharge said.
He added that opposition MPs had submitted proposals in both Houses of Parliament seeking Kumar’s removal, but their notices were rejected.
“The proposal has been brought today to save the dignity of a constitutional body. We have no personal enmity with the CEC. We want the Election Commission to work impartially. No one should be allowed to wrongfully delete people’s votes while sitting in Delhi through a computer,” he said.
Meira Kumar Presides Over Public Impeachment
Opening the proceedings, Meira Kumar said the meeting was organised to hold a “public impeachment” of the CEC over the alleged wrongful removal of eligible voters from electoral rolls.
“When this issue is raised by the INDIA bloc, there is no accountability. So we have decided that the INDIA bloc will hold a meeting and bring a proposal to remove Gyanesh Kumar,” she said.
The stage was designed to resemble the Lok Sabha, with a wooden-panelled backdrop and seats arranged in a semi-circular formation similar to Parliament. Microphones were installed in the first three rows.
The programme was initially scheduled for Friday but was postponed by a day due to rain in the national capital.
Kharge began his address by paying tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary and former prime minister Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary.
Recalling former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s decision to lower the voting age to 18 years, Kharge said the move had allowed young people to participate in deciding the country’s future. He alleged that the Modi government was now threatening this right.
“The Modi government has done everything to remain in power — ‘Sansad chori’, ‘party chori’, electoral bonds and now ‘vote chori’,” he alleged.
Opposition Targets 2023 Election Commission Law
Kharge alleged that the CEC was able to carry out such actions because of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.
He claimed that the law provided protection to the head of the poll panel against any action. He also alleged that it was passed after 145 opposition MPs were suspended from Parliament, preventing them from participating in the proceedings.
“This is shameful. Those who were working in national interest were kept out and the law was passed. This law gives the CEC impunity which even the president and prime minister do not have,” he alleged.
Kharge said the opposition was not seeking voting rights for “ghuspaithiya (infiltrators)” but wanted to ensure that the voting rights of all Indian citizens were protected.
“It is the BJP which is protecting ‘ghuspaithiya ‘, and the pot is telling the kettle black,” he alleged.
Kharge Claims SIR Led To Deletion Of 14 Crore Voters
Kharge held the CEC directly responsible for the SIR exercise and claimed that it had resulted in the intentional deletion of around 14 crore voters from electoral rolls.
He also accused Kumar of illegally amending Form 6, which is used for the registration of electors, without taking Parliament into confidence. According to Kharge, the move affected the voting rights of young people.
The Congress president further alleged that the CEC had centralised control over electoral rolls and deliberately kept the other two Election Commissioners out of the decision-making process.
Accusing Kumar of violating his constitutional mandate and betraying public trust, Kharge said INDIA bloc MPs, representing 60 per cent of the population, had decided that the CEC should face a treason trial in court.
“Article 326 gives universal adult franchise that is under serious threat,” he said.
Kharge reiterated the opposition’s demands for Kumar’s removal, repeal of the 2023 law and an end to the SIR exercise.
“The BJP is trying to finish democracy in India, but we will not allow that to happen,” he said.
The symbolic public impeachment is part of the opposition bloc’s campaign against alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise and its demand for accountability from the Election Commission.
The INDIA bloc has also called for a rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday under the banner of ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’.