New Delhi, Sept. 25 -- Congress workers staged protests across several states on Friday demanding the resignation and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the poll body's handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The protests were organised as part of a nationwide programme directed by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), with party workers marching towards Election Commission offices and raising slogans against Kumar in Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and other states. The protesters also demanded an independent review of all decisions and electoral roll changes made under CEC Kumar.
The opposition party also accused the Election Commission of carrying out an "unprecedented attack" on voter equality by allegedly creating a specific 'Mark VIP' feature in the BLO application and urged Kumar to either turn "approver" or face trial.
Several senior leaders, including party's deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, and workers were detained as police used barricades to stop them from marching towards the state election commission offices in various state capitals.
The protests come in the wake of The Indian Express report that questions were repeatedly raised on issues related to the SIR of electoral rolls within the three-member Election Commission (EC) by two of the three commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
The national rollout of SIR has been under the supervision of all three commissioners. But Sandhu and Joshi have formally objected, on record, at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions taken and orders issued, they say, without their knowledge, according to the Express investigation.
In Delhi, Congress leaders and workers staged a protest against Kumar, demanding his resignation and an independent audit of SIR of electoral rolls in the city.
Several party workers gathered at the Delhi Congress office on Rouse Avenue and marched towards the BJP headquarters on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg before proceeding to the Election Commission office at Nirvachan Sadan.
Also, wearing masks bearing Kumar's face and with their hands bound in chains, Indian Youth Congress workers in Delhi protested against the EC, demanding Kumar's resignation.
Addressing a press conference here, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said all decisions taken by Kumar including SIR are "null and void".
"We are sure the Supreme Court is watching what is happening and will take the right steps at the right time," he said.
"We want to say to Gyanesh Kumar: it's done bro. Heed Rahul Gandhi's advice -- resign and turn approver," Khera said, adding that if Kumar does not do so, he should be ready to face trial.Congress general secretary in-charge organisation KC Venugopal said, "Gyanesh will go, it's a matter of time. And then Congress will make it happen."
The protests held by our leaders and workers across the country demanding his removal are just the beginning, he said.
"There will be a massive outpouring of the defenders of democracy, against the 'deshdrohis' who are out to destroy it," Venugopal said.
Every Indian who is even slightly concerned about saving our democracy should step out and mount unbelievable pressure on this regime and its puppets to fix accountability for this daylight robbery of our vote, and to ensure those guilty are severely punished for destroying our democracy, he said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.