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Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using him to manipulate electoral outcomes.
In a post on X, the Congress leader alleged that Gyanesh Kumar is the only citizen in the country who continues to enjoy lifelong blanket legal immunity. "Q. Why is CEC Gyanesh Kumar the only Indian with lifelong blanket legal immunity? A. Because PM Modi uses him to steal elections," said Gandhi. Gandhi's remarks came after the INDIA bloc met on Wednesday to strategise on its protest against the Election Commission and the SIR process. Speaking at the meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called for the rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, greater transparency in electoral rolls and accountability of the Election Commission, asserting that the ballot belongs to the people. Addressing the INDIA bloc, the Congress President criticised CEC Gyanesh Kumar, saying that he was exposed and should resign. "Today our Chief Election Commissioner stands totally exposed. His two fellow members have written 14 times in 10 months! It questions his very integrity and intentions. Therefore, he should be removed from his position. 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, " he said. Kharge said the SIR exercise was intended by the Election Commission to clean and update electoral rolls but alleged that it could lead to genuine voters being excluded. It is shocking that as many as 13.3 Crore voters have blatantly been removed from voter list. Their power to take part in a DEMOCRACY has been snatched, he said. Kharge demanded that the pre-SIR electoral roll be used for future elections and called for complete transparency in additions, deletions and corrections. He also sought prior notice, reasons and an effective appeal mechanism before legitimate voters are removed. Calling for institutional accountability, Kharge said, There can be no credible election without an Independent and impartial Election Commission as envisioned in Article 324 of the Constitution. He also demanded simpler voter registration procedures for first-time voters and alleged that changes in Form 6 were creating barriers for young voters. The parties participating in the meeting were Congress, SP, AITC, NCP(SP), SS (UBT), RJD, CPM, CPI, JKNC, JKPDP, JMM, CPI-ML, IUML, KC(M), MDMK, VCK, RSP, KC(J) and AIFB. (ANI)
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