NEW DELHI: INDIA bloc MPs reached the Barakhamba Road intersection on Monday as they began marching towards the Supreme Court to submit a petition detailing alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and seeking action against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The march was led by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
The INDIA bloc delegation included former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and leaders of the CPI and CPM.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot said party workers from across the country had gathered under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, demanding that the Supreme Court hear their concerns.
“The entire country is on the streets today. Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress workers from across the country have gathered here. All of us just one demand, for the Supreme Court to hear us. What CEC did is illegal, unconstitutional. He will have to resign from his post”, Pilot said.
Referring to the allegations of “vote chori”, Pilot said the evidence presented by the Congress showed that a fight to protect democracy was necessary.
“The proof of ‘vote chori’ produced by us proves that we will have to fight the battle to save democracy in this country. We want to speak peacefully, in a Gandhian manner. But the police are beating up the youth. Leaders are being jailed. This is wrong”, he said.
Pilot urged the Supreme Court to hear the opposition’s concerns so that appropriate action could be taken. He also alleged that the government was using the police to protect itself.
“I think the Supreme Court must hear us so that the correct measures can be taken. CEC has no right to continue on the position…This Govt is pushing forward Police to protect itself”, he said.
The opposition parties said their MPs would seek the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation and sign the petition at the apex court.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the Election Commission appeared to be acting at the BJP’s behest, raising concerns over the voter lists even after the completion of the SIR exercise in Uttar Pradesh.
“BJP is still getting fake votes registered. We hope that the Election Commission will stay impartial. SIR was ongoing in UP and it has now concluded. Still, there are a large number of double votes”, Yadav said.
He questioned the effectiveness of the exercise, citing the expenditure and deployment of officials involved in the revision process.
“You conducted such a huge exercise, spent crores of rupees, and deployed officials for the same. Still, you could not rectify the voter list…What can you expect from them then? Why the SIR then? EC seems to be working at the BJP’s behest”, he said.
Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav said the march was not a demonstration of political strength but a reflection of wider public concerns.
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