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Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Salman Khurshid said on Sunday, November 1 that the opposition INDIA Bloc's 'Chalo Delhi' march at Ramlila Maidan is part of an ongoing, sustained movement to safeguard democratic rights.
Addressing the media, Khurshid questioned the mass deletion of citizens' names from voter lists during the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. He said the overwhelming turnout at Ramlila Maidan clearly reflects the will of the electorate against arbitrary electoral disenfranchisement. Khurshid clarified that the opposition's fight is aimed at ensuring no eligible Indian citizen is deprived of their voting rights. He strongly questioned the parameters used to strike off names from voter registries under Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar "We do not want a single Indian to be left out. Our grievance is that the names of fellow citizens have been excluded. Why were these names removed?" Khurshid asked. "It is the people of India who decide who becomes Prime Minister, and we are demonstrating what the people of India truly want today." Calling the Ramlila Maidan assembly a stepping stone rather than a conclusion, Khurshid stressed that the protest signals a long-term nationwide campaign against electoral process irregularities. "You will see for yourselfthrough the turnout at the rallywhat our party workers and the general public desire for the nation. This will not end with just one rally; this is part of an ongoing movement," he asserted. Escalating the opposition's offensive against the Election Commission of India (ECI), Congress Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Shukla on Sunday questioned Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar's refusal to step down, alleging that the poll chief has lost public trust and is no longer viewed as impartial. Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the INDIA alliance's mega rally at Ramlila Maidan, Shukla accused the election authority of facing widespread public scepticism and alleged internal discord within the poll body. "This Gyanesh Kumar has to answer: why is he not resigning? The public has lost faith in him. People believe that he is not an impartial Election Commissioner. Even his own colleagues are against himyet he still refuses to resign...", he said. At the INDIA alliance's mega rally at Ramlila Maidan, Congress MP Rajeev Shukla said, "This Gyanesh Kumar has to answer: why is he not resigning? The public has lost faith in him. People believe that he is not an impartial Election Commissioner. Even his own colleagues are against himyet he still refuses to resign..." Earlier, as top leaders of the INDIA bloc gathered at Ramlila Maidan for a mega show of strength, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary (Operations), KC Venugopal, on Sunday hailed the massive public turnout, stating that "not only Ramlila Maidan, but the entire Delhi is flooded with people." Speaking to reporters here, Venugopal said that despite hurdles, people from across the country had arrived in the national capital to voice their support for the opposition alliance. "Not only Ramlila Maidan, but the entire Delhi is flooded with people. People have come from every corner to stand united and send a resounding message," Venugopal said. (ANI)
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