Congress holds nationwide protests against CEC, INDIA bloc to meet

Congress held nationwide protests demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over the SIR process row. The INDIA bloc plans to meet, while the BJP accuses the opposition of spreading lies. The ECI denies any institutional dissent.

Congress Protests, BJP Hits Back

Congress stepped up its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday, holding protests in state capitals and districts across the country. It is now pushing for a united opposition front, with the INDIA bloc set to meet on September 30 to discuss the row surrounding the Election Commission.

BJP hit back at Congress, especially targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Union Health Minister JP Nadda accused the Opposition of misleading the public and attempting to create confusion over the EC. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal called the protests "a natural reaction from the people of this country against the CEC and his anti-Constitutional, illegal activities to destroy democracy."

The SIR Controversy Explained

The row began after Indian Express had reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over a period of 10 months on decisions and orders related to the SIR process and other electoral matters. The reported disagreements included issues concerning Form 6, voter deletions and access to electoral-roll databases.

The Election Commission, however, rejected the suggestion that the objections amounted to institutional dissent over final decisions. The poll panel said operational queries, inputs and suggestions raised during the draft stage were part of its standard administrative and decision-making process. The Commission maintained that all decisions, including those related to SIR, were unanimous and had the approval of all three commissioners.

United Opposition Front Takes Shape

The Congress, CPI, CPI(M), Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) have all called for Kumar's resignation, and Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said the bloc's representatives would hold "a free and frank discussion" at the meeting.

Nationwide Protests and Detentions

The Congress state units, including Gujarat, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Keralam, Assam, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, took to the streets to demand the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar. Several states saw protestors being detained to control the crowd. In Jaipur, water cannons were used on Congress workers and leaders. Congress workers also staged a protest in Uttarakhand.

At many places, Congress workers also burnt effigies of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Assam Congress leaders staged a protest at the Manbendra Sarma Complex in Guwahati over “vote chori” allegations and protested against Gyanesh Kumar. Several states saw protestors being detained to control the crowd. In Jaipur, water cannons were used on Congress workers and leaders.

Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav, detained by police during the party's Delhi protest, said, "Until Gyanesh Kumar resigns, the Congress party's fight will continue." Uttarakhand Congress Vice President Suryakant Dhasmana said the party was expressing its indignation "in 550 districts across the nation."

Left Parties Join the Fray

Beyond Congress, CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby and other Left leaders marched from AKG Bhawan to the statue of Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Gole Market in New Delhi on his 119th birth anniversary, pledging to protect the Right to Vote and democracy. This comes as Left parties are pushing for a united opposition front amid the row, even coming together with Former West Bengal Chief Minsiter Mamata Banerjee after being rivals in the state's electoral battle for years.

Opposition Leaders Allege 'Vote Theft'

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi visited Bela Estate on the Yamuna banks in Delhi, alleging that after SIR, only one of 728 residents remains on the voter list. "This isn't SIR – this is a method of vote theft," he said. "Gyanesh Kumar will go. But the system that made him do this will also have to answer."

Pawan Khera, at a protest in Srinagar, said, "SIR is completely illegal," arguing that amending Form 6 required Parliament's approval. Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said the deletion of voters' names "amounts to a criminal act." Congress leader Shashi Tharoor called it a "shocking situation".

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said, "The ECI must bear sole responsibility and blame for the illegal mass disenfranchisement The S.I.R. exercise is, step by step, being exposed as a fraud. S. I. R. must be suspended immediately, and ways and means must be explored to redress the victims of the mass disenfranchisement."

BJP Rejects Allegations, Defends EC

Responding to the opposition's criticisms about the EC, Union Minister JP Nadda said, "Now, the Election Commission has exposed all the lies," accusing Rahul Gandhi and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal of making allegations and walking away. Nadda also said that repeating a lie multiple times did not make it true.

“Rahul Gandhi, listen carefully—repeating a lie a hundred times does not make it the truth, and the truth can never be defeated,” he said. Echoing a similar sentiment, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh said, "We have repeatedly said that Rahul Gandhi makes baseless remarks. There is no substance to what he says. All the Election Commissioners have sat together and stated that there is no issue... this is not the role of the opposition" (ANI)

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