On Tuesday in New Delhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge demanded the immediate ouster of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of succumbing to pressure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the opening address to the Congress Working Committee, Kharge also urged Modi to step down on moral grounds, alleging that the prime minister had interfered with the poll panel.
Kharge outlined five specific demands for the party. First, the complete data on every major alteration to the electoral rolls must be made public. Second, political parties should receive the rolls and related information in a simple, timely format. Third, any evidence of serious discrepancies must trigger an independent, time‑bound inquiry. Fourth, voters whose names have been removed should be notified and given a chance to appeal. Fifth, the election apparatus must operate with full transparency so that no party can claim information is being withheld.
Emphasising the sanctity of the vote, Kharge said the electorate must trust that its ballot is secure. He warned that democracy and the Constitution endure beyond any single election or government, and that the ordinary voter remains the most powerful citizen.
The CWC meeting, chaired by Kharge, featured senior leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal, Sachin Pilot, Mukul Wasnik and P Chidambaram. Chief ministers of Congress‑ruled states – DK Shivakumar (Karnataka), V D Satheesan (Kerala), A Revanth Reddy (Telangana) and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh) – also participated.
Kharge recalled the 2016 demonetisation, calling it a “Notebandi” that harmed the economy, and labelled the current controversy a “Votebandi” aimed at disenfranchising the poor, Dalits and other vulnerable groups. He cited two former Election Commissioners who described the CEC’s recent actions as arbitrary, concluding that the chief election commissioner should be removed and the prime minister should resign for moral reasons.
Image: sahilonline.org
📰 Source: Sahil Online