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West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Thursday questioned the unity and leadership of the INDIA bloc, saying that its constituent parties do not respect each other while alleging that no Opposition leader has the courage to take on the BJP and defeat it electorally.
Who is the leader of the INDIA alliance? These people do not respect each other... No one has the courage to fight the BJP (in elections) and defeat the BJP, Ghosh told reporters here. His remarks came a day after INDIA bloc parties announced a joint protest programme against the Election Commission (EC) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. He further claimed that the public was satisfied with the BJP's functioning and accused the Opposition of attempting to create confusion ahead of elections. The public is happy with the way the BJP is working. These people are trying to produce products and confuse people before the elections, he said. Earlier on Wednesday, Leader of Oppsosition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on CEC Kumar, accusing Prime Minister Modi of using him to manipulate electoral outcomes. "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. The INDIA bloc held a coordination meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday, bringing together several Opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), RJD and Left parties. Following the meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced a nationwide Save Democracy March from October 2 to October 8. Opposition MPs are scheduled to march to the EC headquarters on October 6. They plan to seek a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu in the second week of October. The INDIA bloc has demanded the immediate resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, rollback of the SIR exercise, use of pre-SIR electoral rolls for future elections and a return to ballot papers instead of EVMs. It has also sought an effective appeals mechanism for voters excluded from electoral rolls. Meanwhile, the BJP has rejected the Opposition's allegations against the Election Commission and accused its rivals of targeting the poll body following electoral setbacks. The latest exchange comes amid an escalating political confrontation over electoral rolls and the functioning of the Election Commission ahead of several state elections in 2027. (ANI)
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