Rahul intensifies attack on CEC Gyanesh Kumar amid row
New Delhi, Sept. 25 -- Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday blamed Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for destroying the chain between polls and the Constitution, and asked him to "turn approver".
Gandhi's remarks came after a report in The Indian Express said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times in the past 10 months to decisions and orders of the poll panel, including those related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
"The two Election Commissioners have essentially said that votes don't exist in India. They are also saying the man they believe responsible is Gyanesh Kumar. He has been appointed by Prime Minister of India. The reason nothing happened (after) all the letters is because there is a protector of Gyanesh Kumar who is sitting on top," he said.
Calling for Kumar's immediate resignation, Gandhi said, "I want to tell Gyanesh Kumar, you are a highly educated person: the thing that you have done is an act against India. This is an attack against legal structure and Constitution. We are not going to let democracy be destroyed. The two ECs have done a wise thing. They have come clean. Gyanesh Kumar should think seriously and he should turn approver. That would be an act of nationalism."
Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, industrialist Gautam Adani, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and PM's principal secretary PK Mishra were "conspirators" in what he described as manipulation of elections.
He also claimed that even if the BJP wins the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, people would not believe the result as polls were being "rigged" by Kumar.
He questioned the absence of anti-incumbency against the BJP and Modi, saying every PM and chief minister faces it.
The BJP rejected Gandhi's allegations, with party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi accusing him of creating a "hype" over a media report on differences within the Election Commission.
"All decisions (at the Election Commission) were taken unanimously. There is no evidence that the decisions were taken by majority," Trivedi said.
He questioned the basis of the Indian Express report, saying it did not carry a comment from the Election Commission or any of the election commissioners. "What is the basis of the report?" he asked.
Opposition parties have started collecting signatures for a fresh impeachment notice against CEC Kumar. In a change of strategy, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and all Opposition floor leaders are expected to sign the notice....
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