INDIA bloc MPs may stage fourth straight day of protests over 'vote chori'
INDIA bloc MPs will meet at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan at 3 pm on Friday and may hold another protest against alleged "vote chori", sources said on Thursday.
The opposition bloc has also sought an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu. If the meeting is not granted, the leaders are considering other options for their agitation, the sources said.
Possible venues for the protest include Seva Teerth, Rashtrapati Bhavan, the vice-president's residence and the official residences of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The demonstrations are directed against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The proposed demonstration would mark the fourth consecutive day of protests by opposition leaders.
Earlier, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the INDIA bloc had requested a meeting with the president and was waiting for a response from Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Venugopal said the first letter seeking an appointment was sent on October 2. Rashtrapati Bhavan subsequently asked the opposition bloc to provide the names of the leaders who would attend the meeting.
"We submitted the request again on October 5, along with the names, seeking an appointment on October 7, 8 or 9," he said.
Venugopal added that the bloc had not received a response so far and would wait until Friday.
Last week, the INDIA bloc finalised a joint action plan to oppose the SIR exercise, which included rallies and marches under the slogan "save democracy".
On Thursday, opposition leaders intensified their agitation by staging a sit-in at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Rajghat. They alleged that Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Shah and CEC Gyanesh Kumar were involved in a criminal conspiracy to commit "vote chori" and hijack the country.
It was the third consecutive day of demonstrations against the chief election commissioner and the opposition's allegations of electoral wrongdoing. The leaders vowed to continue their agitation until Kumar resigns.
The protests followed two days of intense demonstrations during which several opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, were detained and removed by police. On Thursday, the leaders gathered at Rajghat to pay floral tributes and pray for "wisdom to the BJP government and the chief election commissioner".
The opposition's campaign has also intensified following a report by The Indian Express stating that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over the preceding 10 months, largely concerning decisions and orders related to the SIR exercise.
Responding to the objections raised by the two commissioners, the Election Commission maintained that differences of opinion and observations were a normal part of institutional deliberations. It said its orders had full legal sanction and complied with established statutory procedures. (with inputs from PTI)
