How 'combative' INDIA Bloc plans to turn EC row into a mass movement

With “save democracy” as its war cry and “vote chori” as its prime accusation against an alleged BJP-Election Commission nexus, the INDIA bloc will mount a month-long joint agitation starting October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The Opposition coalition will take to the streets, not just in Delhi but across the country, with a protest plan that includes a “maharally” in the national capital, five joint rallies across different states, demonstrations in every district, and a protest march by all its MPs to the Election Commission headquarters.

Amid a raging row over recent revelations about serious disagreements between Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and election commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on different aspects of the SIR, the top leadership of the INDIA bloc met in New Delhi on Wednesday (September 30). While the alliance leaders were united in their demand for the “immediate removal” of Kumar as CEC, they also realised an urgent need to “take the issue directly to the public through a sustained campaign at the grassroots”, sources present at the meeting said.

Six-point ‘Save Democracy’ action plan

Following two hours of deliberations, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced a six-point ‘Save Democracy’ action plan finalised by leaders of the 19 parties that joined the conclave (see box).

Combative mood

The conclave was the first meeting of the alliance’s senior leadership since June 8. What set Wednesday’s conclave apart from the previous one, however, was a “decidedly more combative mood” across parties in light of the imbroglio that the EC, and by extension, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government find themselves in.

In contrast, the gathering in June had been a glum affair. The DMK had drifted away from the alliance after the Congress dumped it for Joseph Vijay’s victorious TVK in Tamil Nadu. The Left parties lost power in Kerala after a bitterly fought election against the Congress. The Trinamool Congress not only lost Bengal but also split three-ways, with Mamata Banerjee leading one faction, a bulk of her Lok Sabha MPs merging into the obscure NCPI, and a majority of the newly-elected party MLAs forming a third faction.

Also Read: INDIA bloc meet: Kharge seeks SIR rollback, return to ballot papers, CEC’s removal

In the months since, there has, however, been a remarkable turnaround in the Opposition’s fortune, despite the shrinking of its combined strength both in the states and in Parliament. The latest controversy surrounding the CEC and the poll panel comes at a time when the Modi government and the BJP are already besieged by a crisis of perception following the brute handling of student protests and the row over donation theft at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir.

At the INDIA bloc meeting, while discussions largely revolved around the EC brouhaha, leaders ranging from Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav to Uddhav Thackeray (who joined virtually) and Supriya Sule acknowledged a “shift in the public mood” against the BJP.

Kharge’s aggressive speech

Kharge set the tone for the deliberations with his opening remarks. Not holding back any punches, Kharge said at the outset that in wake of the recent Indian Express reports about Kumar’s allegedly arbitrary and illegal actions as the CEC, which had left over 13 crore voters disenfranchised, the poll panel chief “should be removed from his position”.

Also Read: Amid row, EC restores regular Form 6 process outside states undergoing SIR

“If he has even an iota of Constitutional or moral shame left in him, he will resign himself and turn approver against the powers who are interfering in our electoral rolls,” Kharge said, while being equally stinging against Modi and home minister Amit Shah, who he accused of being the “real culprits” in the EC row.

Six demands

The Congress president went on to urge his allies to unitedly back six demands:

1) Restoration of pre-SIR electoral rolls for future polls and complete transparency in every electoral-roll revision, including constituency-wise and booth-wise information on additions, deletions, and corrections

2) Voter deletions only following due notice and with an effective appeal mechanism

3) Protection of eligible voters from exclusion caused by administrative failures, inadequate documentation, or lack of awareness

4) Return to ballot paper voting

5) Simple and accessible voter registration for new voters

6) Institutional accountability from a poll panel that commands confidence across the political spectrum.

Mamata returns to 'streetfighter form'

After her justifiably cast down attendance at the June 8 meet, Wednesday’s gathering also saw Mamata Banerjee return to her streetfighter form. Sources privy to the discussions said Mamata was the most forceful speaker at the meet, urging all Opposition parties, including her past arch-rivals from the Left Front, to “be prepared for the worst” in their united fight against the BJP.

Evidently humbled by her current political circumstances, Mamata, said sources, was “all praise for Rahul Gandhi’s uncompromising fight against the BJP”; even conceding at one point that the Lok Sabha’s Leader of Opposition had duly warned allies of the threats the RSS-BJP combine pose to the country and its institutions.

Also Read: DMK says it will back in Parliament move seeking removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Notably, Mamata was the only leader other than Kharge and Rahul who addressed the press during the briefing held after the INDIA conclave ended. Mocking Gyanesh Kumar as “Vanish Kumar”, the former Bengal CM called the CEC a “chor” (thief) and “daaku” (dacoit), and backed the alliance’s call for his immediate removal while cautioning both the poll panel and the Centre that if the CEC is not removed, the Opposition’s fight “will go very far”.

‘Obligation to safeguard people’s vote’

Noting that the Opposition had an obligation to the voters to safeguard their vote, the Trinamool chief said this required sustained and aggressive protests.

“They (the Modi government and the BJP) may try to prevent us from coming out of our homes. They may try to stop us from taking to the streets. But how long can they stop everyone… I want to make one thing clear: we will fight; we will continue this struggle; we will work to restore democracy; and we will protect the Constitution. This is our promise,” said Mamata, and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi thumped the desk in approval.

Also Read: SIR explained: From voter deletions to Form 6, what has changed?

While the alliance leaders have now declared their action plan, sources present at the meeting said attempts will also be made to get “other like-minded Opposition parties who were previously with us and also those who were not with us” on board.

Rahul urged to ‘reach out to DMK’

A senior INDIA Bloc leader told The Federal that parties such as the CPI-ML(L) and CPI-M urged Rahul during the discussions that the Congress party should “reach out to the DMK” and “settle differences”, arguing that the Dravidian party has “more in common with us than with the BJP”. The Left leaders said getting the DMK back into the INDIA fold will not only strengthen the Opposition’s campaigns against the Modi dispensation but also prevent the Centre from bulldozing any constitutional amendments through Parliament, including the proposals to change the constitutional scheme for delimitation and reconfigure the Lok Sabha’s strength.

Also Read: SC agrees to hear next week plea against EC decisions

Other allies like Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and Samajwadi Party’s Harendra Malik also urged the Congress high command to ensure that their state-level leaders “coordinate protests on key issues with other allies” instead of going solo or making comments that hurt Opposition unity. The “suggestion” is of particular significance in Uttar Pradesh where, ahead of next year’s assembly polls, Congress leaders have been repeatedly taunting the Samajwadi Party, whose chief, Akhilesh Yadav, skipped Wednesday’s INDIA bloc meeting.