New Delhi, Oct 30: The INDIA bloc on Friday deferred its symbolic “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to Saturday following bad weather and rain in the national capital, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said. He also announced a march on November 1 to Ramlila Maidan ahead of the ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ rally.
The INDIA bloc had planned its public impeachment, with former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presiding over the proceedings.
According to Congress, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge was to move the motion against the CEC, while Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to deliver the concluding remarks.
Addressing the media with INDIA bloc leaders, Rahul Gandhi said: “The alliance reached a consensus to postpone the event to spare senior leaders the discomfort of sitting in the rain. The programme will now be held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s official residence at 3 pm on Saturday.”
“We felt that it would be uncomfortable for seniors to sit in the rain and we would do the same programme tomorrow,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi asserted that the entire opposition stood together against alleged “vote theft” ahead of Sunday’s march to Ramlila Maidan.
Inviting political parties, civil society groups and the public to join the march in large numbers, the Gandhi scion said both programmes were against the “demolition of Indian democracy” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah through CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Taking a jibe at Shah and accusing him of trying to prevent people from reaching Delhi to attend the march, the Rae Bareli MP alleged that party workers and ordinary citizens traveling from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Telangana and Punjab were being stopped.
“Now watch what happens at Ramlila ground. You watch how many people come, and you watch how many people they manage to stop. And you will understand what is going on in this country,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi also said that there was widespread anger and “emotional pain” over the alleged disenfranchisement of millions of voters.
The Congress leader alleged that votes were being stolen to benefit industrialists, Prime Minister Modi, Shah and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
He also asserted that the protests were part of a common struggle.
Rahul Gandhi said: “There are no multiple protests. This is one protest. The entire Opposition is standing here. Anybody who wants to protest, any person, is welcome to come here.”
“We are all standing together because we are defending the Constitution; we are defending the idea of India; we are defending the vote, which is the expression of all Indians,” he added.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav said all parties had agreed to defer the programme and stood with Rahul Gandhi in the fight.
He confirmed that party chief Akhilesh Yadav would attend Sunday’s rally.
Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien, representing Mamata Banerjee and his party, also stressed Opposition unity.
Pointing to the presence of leaders from parties including the CPI(M), CPI, Shiv Sena, JMM, RJD, IUML and RSP, he said: “We are in this together. We will win this together.”
Kharge’s residence was chosen after the Opposition failed to secure permission for venues including the Constitution Club and Talkatora Stadium.
The move is part of the Opposition’s escalating campaign against Gyanesh Kumar, whom it has accused of partisan conduct and mishandling the revision of electoral rolls. The parties have been demanding his resignation, alleging that the exercise has resulted in the large-scale deletion of eligible voters.
