New Delhi, Oct 31 Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday demanded the immediate removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the 2023 law providing immunity to the CEC, accusing the poll panel chief of working under the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Moving a ‘motion’ for the removal of the CEC at the symbolic “public impeachment” organised by the INDIA bloc here, Kharge said that if people like Kumar stay on constitutional posts, the threat to democracy and the Constitution will keep increasing.
“The Modi government has hatched every conspiracy since 2014 to cling to power: stealing MPs, breaking parties, stealing governments, electoral bonds, misuse of ED/CBI. And now vote theft — cut opposition votes and rule,” he alleged, adding that there are hundreds of examples of “vote chori”.
The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha listed out 6 charges against CEC Kumar, including a conspiracy to “steal” elections, “deletion” of 13.2 crore voters, “amending” Form 6 without Parliamentary oversight or knowledge, “seizing” electoral rolls through ECINET, “shutting out” the other two Election Commissioners and acting at the behest of PM Modi and Shah.
The Congress chief said the right to vote granted to citizens under Article 326 of the Constitution is today in “serious danger”.
“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 said 193 opposition MPs had moved proposals in both Houses of Parliament seven months ago seeking the CEC’s removal, but their notices were rejected.
“The proposal has been brought today to safeguard the dignity of a constitutional institution. We have no personal enmity with the CEC. We want the Election Commission to work impartially and maintain the trust of the people in it.
“No one should be allowed to wrongfully delete people’s votes while sitting in Delhi through a computer,” he said, adding that to stop the ‘vote theft’ happening in the country, all leaders, MPs of the INDIA alliance, and people from NGOs have come together against ‘vote chori’.
Recalling the contribution of freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Maulana Azad, he noted that Babasaheb had said that the ‘right to vote is the greatest strength of the common people’.
“It is through this right that the people form and remove governments. But today, that right is in danger, because CEC Gyanesh Kumar is running the Commission directly under the instructions of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister,” he alleged, adding that the opposition will do everything to protect the votes of every Indian.
He claimed that Gyanesh Kumar is able to carry out this “vote theft” because of the 2023 CEC Act passed in Parliament in December 2023, after “suspending 145 opposition MPs”.
“This law gives the CEC a lifelong protective shield that even the President and CJI do not have,” he noted.
The Congress leader said they are all together fighting for democracy and asserted that they will protect the people’s rights with full force. He also recalled how former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi reduced the voting age to 18.
Kharge rejected the BJP’s charge that the opposition was trying to protect “ghuspethiya’ (infiltrators)” in the voter list, saying, “We are fighting to keep genuine voters on electoral rolls. It is the BJP which is protecting ghuspaithiyas. The pot is telling the kettle black.”
“We are not in favour of granting voting rights to “ghuspaithiya”, but for protecting votes of all Indians,” he noted.
He also claimed that the RSS objected to giving adult franchise in India, but Jawaharlal Nehru had faith in Indian masses:
“The BJP is trying to finish democracy in India, but we will not allow that to happen,” Kharge said.
“We don’t have any personal enmity with the CEC; our demand that there should be free and fair polls and the right to vote of all should be protected.”
Listing out some of the charges against the CEC, Kharge alleged that he has “overseen and participated in a divisive criminal conspiracy orchestrated by the BJP to steal national and state elections”.
He also charged the CEC with “intentional deletion of around 14 crore voters” from electoral rolls.
“The CEC is guilty of illegally centralising control over electoral rolls; it is an act of treason. The CEC is guilty of having willfully violated the law after unlawfully keeping the other two ECs out of the decision-making process.
“The CEC has breached his Constitutional mandate and Gyanesh Kumar has betrayed the faith and trust of the people of India. The MPs of the INDIA bloc representing 60 pc population resolve that CEC Gyanesh Kumar must be tried for treason in the Court,” Kharge said.
The “mock” Parliament proceedings, presided over by former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, were held at the residence of Congress chief Kharge and INDIA bloc leaders, MPs, civil society representatives and individuals who alleged wrongful deletion of their names from electoral rolls attended the meeting.
(PTI News)
