New Delhi, Oct 31 Taking a swipe at the Modi government, independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday said they label the opposition ‘Dimagi Naxal’ when they themselves are “Dimagi bulldozer” for having “bulldozed” the Constitution and the votes of the people.
Sibal made the remarks at the INDIA bloc’s symbolic “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence here.
“The first question that arises is — why have we gathered here? The reality is that we are here because when we go to Parliament, no one listens to us; when we want to speak, they (government) don’t want to hear, when we protest, we are met with baton charges; and the mainstream media only echoes the government’s narrative,” the former Union minister said.
For the first time in 12 years, the public is listening to the opposition, Sibal said.
“In the minds of the people, Gyanesh Kumar has already been impeached….the people have stood by us in the past, and they continue to stand by us today — because 60 per cent of the country’s population supports the opposition,” he stressed.
Sibal said the electoral irregularities did not begin just with Gyanesh Kumar but earlier and pointed out that the law granting immunity to the CEC was brought in 2023 when Rajiv Kumar was the CEC.
“Gyanesh Kumar is just a pawn on a chess board, it is the ‘wazirs’ (ministers) that roam around in the country that are the real culprits,” Sibal said.
“They call us ‘Dimagi Naxals’ — but I would say to them that you are ‘Dimagi bulldozer’. You have bulldozed our Constitution; you have bulldozed the rights and votes of the people. How can you label us as ‘Dimagi Naxal’?” the former Congress leader said.
Noting that the language of treason arises from Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita which states that treason also comprises of subversion through electronic means and the CEC has subverted the voters list through electronic means.
“Treason is not limited to Gyanesh Kumar, it goes beyond Gyanesh Kumar because he is a pawn. Let Gyanesh Kumar go and others would follow. A promise the opposition should make to people is that it will not end with Gyanesh Kumar but start with Gyanesh Kumar,” SIbal said.
“This evening’s dust has settled and the darkness of the last 12 years envelops us. We will awake tomorrow to a new morning, a new beginning, to fight this battle to the end and to make sure that the sacrifice of our forefathers to bequeath our freedoms was not in vain,” he concluded.
(PTI News)
