NEW DELHI: The Congress will continue its agitation demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with the party planning to take its campaign to the panchayat level and appoint a 'Vote Rakshak' at every polling booth, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said on Sunday.
Describing the pause in the agitation during Diwali as temporary, Venugopal said the party would withdraw its campaign only after Kumar was removed from office and steps were taken to ensure that India's electoral system was impartial and fair.
"We will withdraw from this agitation only after Gyanesh Kumar is removed from the post and steps are taken to make India's electoral system and processes flawless, impartial and fair," Venugopal told reporters. "This is not a struggle that we will abandon midway."
As part of its next phase, the Congress will launch a 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' campaign at the panchayat level over the next month and a half. The party will also appoint a 'Vote Rakshak' at every polling booth to scrutinise electoral rolls, identify deleted names and visit the homes of affected voters to help them get their names restored.
Venugopal said Congress units were already organising programmes across states and districts. The party was also working on joint campaigns with other opposition parties, he added.
Describing the November 1 rally in New Delhi as one of the strongest protests the country had witnessed, Venugopal said the campaign was directed against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
He also alleged that deletions from electoral rolls could affect poor families beyond their right to vote, claiming that access to government benefits was increasingly linked to voter identity cards. The government has rejected the charge.
The Congress-led opposition's confrontation with the Election Commission began over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The dispute escalated last week when the INDIA bloc moved a resolution seeking the CEC's removal.
The government has defended the revision process, saying deletions involve entries of deceased, shifted and duplicate voters.
With input from media reports