Srinagar: Constituents of the INDIA Bloc on Saturday staged a joint protest at the Congress headquarters here against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, and the BJP-led Centre, accusing them of undermining the electoral process.
The protest, part of the opposition alliance’s nationwide agitation against what it calls “vote chori”, saw the participation of leaders and workers of the Congress, ruling National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Raising slogans against the BJP and the CEC, the protesters demanded Kumar’s resignation and called for strict action over the allegations surrounding the electoral process. The protesters also raised concerns over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
They also sought accountability over the functioning of the Election Commission, maintaining that the integrity of elections and democratic institutions needed to be protected.
Police, however, did not allow the protesters to move outside the Congress headquarters as soon as they attempted to march towards the main road. The demonstration was consequently restricted to the party office premises, where leaders continued to address the gathering.
Speaking to reporters, senior NC leader Peer Afaq Ahmad said the INDIA Bloc had unanimously organized the demonstration against the Chief Election Commissioner, asserting that the opposition’s earlier allegations against the BJP and the poll panel had gained significance following recent developments.
“We have unanimously held this protest today against the CEC, who has been exposed by a prominent newspaper in the country. The INDIA Bloc had been saying from the beginning that the BJP was using CEC Gyanesh Kumar for ‘vote chori’. What we had been saying has now turned out to be true, and the BJP and its supporters have been exposed across the country,” Ahmad said.
He said the agitation would continue until the BJP government was brought down and strict action was taken against the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“Our protest, which the police did not allow moving ahead, will continue until the BJP government falls and the strictest possible action is taken against the CEC,” he said.
Congress leader Channing Singh also accused the BJP of electoral manipulation, describing the protest as an eye-opener for the ruling party. He alleged that people holding high constitutional positions, including Gyanesh Kumar, had been used to facilitate vote theft.
“Today’s protest is an eye-opener for the BJP, which has used people occupying high positions, like Gyanesh Kumar, for vote chori. A population of 1.40 crore has been subjected to this. The BJP formed its government through vote chori and tarnished the image of Indian democracy,” Singh said.
He said the Congress would continue its agitation against the BJP-led government until it was removed from power, accusing it of corruption and undermining democratic principles.
“We will continue our movement against this vote-chor government until the country is freed from this corrupt government,” he said.
The INDIA Bloc has been opposing the SIR exercise and questioning the Election Commission’s functioning, alleging that irregularities in the electoral process threaten voters’ rights. The BJP and the Election Commission’s positions on these allegations should be reflected separately if their responses are available.
