Kharge said that it must be ensured that the voters of India have confidence that their vote is secure. Photo: @kcvenugopalmp
Kharge demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s removal over SIR, seeks PM Modi’s resignation
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the CEC of acting under pressure and sought greater transparency in electoral roll revisions and the SIR process
Upping the ante against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday (September 29) demanded his “immediate removal” over alleged irregularities in the SIR process. Kharge, in his opening remarks at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Delhi, also demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation for "pressuring" the CEC.
Kharge demands CEC's removal
Kharge also put forward five demands of his party, including making public the complete data regarding every major change made to the electoral rolls and providing political parties with the electoral rolls and relevant data in a simple format and in a timely manner.
“Gyanesh Kumar must be removed as CEC with immediate effect. Since Kumar was working under pressure from the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi must take moral responsibility and resign,” said Kharge.
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That voters whose names have been removed must be fully informed and given an opportunity to appeal, and there must be such transparency in the critical data and decisions related to the election process so that no party has grounds to claim that information is being withheld, the Congress president added.
“Data of all major changes made to the voter lists must be made public. Deleted voters must be duly informed and be given ample time for appeal. All political parties must be provided the voter lists and related data in a simple format,” said Kharge.
Congress seeks transparency in voter rolls
He further stated that it must be ensured that the voters of India have confidence that their vote is secure.
"We do not view this issue merely as a battle to win or lose an election. Elections come and go, and governments change, but democracy and the Constitution are enduring. This is the foundation of Indian democracy. We must convey to every citizen that in a democracy, the most powerful person is the ordinary voter -- not the prime minister, the chief minister, or a leader in power," he added.
Kharge targets Modi over 'Votebandi'
Lashing out at PM Modi, Kharge accused him of devastating India’s economy with demonetisation and is now destroying the country’s democracy with of “Votebandi” (voter disenfranchisement).
"Under these circumstances, he (CEC) has no right to remain in office and should be removed immediately. Furthermore, the prime minister—under whose pressure he acted in this manner—should himself resign on moral grounds," Kharge said.
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Noting that elections in five states are coming up, the Congress chief said it is crucial to ensure that no voter is deprived of their rights.
"We must guarantee that every individual's vote is secure and the elections are fair, thereby maintaining the public's trust in India's electoral process. Only then will India's future remain secure and democracy continue to flourish," he added.
Congress leaders attend CWC meeting
The CWC meeting, chaired by Kharge, is being attended by former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, party general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal, Sachin Pilot, Mukul Wasnik, and senior leaders P Chidambaram, among others, attended the meeting.
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 in the meeting.
(With agency inputs)