New Delhi, Oct. 30 -- The INDIA bloc has postponed its proposed "public impeachment" of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar to October 31 due to incessant rain in the national capital, while its planned march to Ramlila Maidan on November 1 will begin at noon from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday.
Addressing a joint press conference with INDIA bloc leaders outside Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence at 10, Rajaji Marg, Gandhi said the decision to defer Friday's programme was taken by consensus, keeping in mind the inconvenience the weather could cause to senior leaders.
"We felt that it would be uncomfortable for seniors to sit in the rain, and we would do the exact same programme tomorrow," he said, adding that the public impeachment would now be held at 2.30 pm on Saturday.
The proceedings will be followed by the 'Chalo Dilli' march to Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, where the opposition has planned a mega rally over alleged "vote chori" and irregularities in electoral rolls. Gandhi shared the march schedule during an 'Ask Me' session on Instagram, saying it would start at noon from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction and culminate at Ramlila Maidan.
Gandhi maintained that the two programmes were part of a single opposition campaign to defend the Constitution and democracy. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Election Commission of undermining democratic institutions.
"This is not multiple protests. This is one protest. The entire opposition is standing here. Anybody who wants to protest, any person is welcome to come here. We are all standing here because we are defending the Constitution, we are defending the idea of India. We are defending the vote, which is the expression of all Indians," he said.
The Congress leader also alleged that the Home Minister was attempting to prevent people from reaching Delhi for the November 1 rally, claiming that party workers and thousands of ordinary citizens were being stopped from travelling to the capital.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh announced the revised schedule in a post on X, alleging that Kumar had subverted the Constitution at the direction of the Prime Minister and Home Minister.
Several Opposition leaders attended the press conference, including Derek O'Brien, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav and representatives of the Shiv Sena (UBT), JMM, RJD, CPI and CPI(M).
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.