Opposition ‘impeaches’ CEC

The Congress-led INDIA bloc of Opposition parties on Saturday staged a symbolic “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the right to vote was under threat and accusing the Nirvachan Sadan of functioning at the behest of the Modi Government.

The ‘House’ designed in the garden of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence unanimously passed the ‘resolution’ to ‘impeach’ Gyanesh Kumar a day before the Opposition called a massive rally at Ram Lila Maidan on Sunday.

The symbolic “public impeachment” of the CEC was ‘staged’ at the official residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and attended and addressed by members of Opposition parties like TMC, RJD, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (Uddhav) and leaders of civil society groups.

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the event, while Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Awadhesh Prasad and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy served as vice-chairs.

Besides Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, party general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal, among others, were present at the “public impeachment” held on the eve of the Opposition’s Ram Lila Maidan rally on Sunday.

Additionally, several MPs and leaders from various constituent parties of the Opposition alliance - including SP MP Dharmendra Yadav and TMC parliamentary party leader Derek O’Brien - and Independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal were also in attendance.

Opposition called for the removal of Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that he participated in a “devious and malevolent criminal conspiracy orchestrated by the BJP to steal national and State elections”, and asserted that he must be tried for “treason” in a court.

Speaking on the motion, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said it is absurd that more than 250 opposition MPs and members of civil society groups have to sit in a garden (Kharge’s residence) to discuss the CEC’s impeachment, as every institution is closed to us.

Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, demanded the immediate removal of Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the 2023 law granting immunity to the CEC, accusing the poll panel chief of working under the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Moving a ‘motion’ the remove the CEC at the symbolic “public impeachment” organised by the INDIA bloc here, Kharge said that if people like Kumar stay in constitutional posts, the threat to democracy and the Constitution will keep increasing.

“The Modi Government has hatched every conspiracy since 2014 to cling to power: stealing MPs, breaking parties, stealing governments, electoral bonds, and misuse of ED/CBI. And now vote theft -- cut opposition votes and rule,” he alleged, adding that there are hundreds of examples of “vote chori”.

He listed out six charges against CEC Kumar, including a conspiracy to “steal” elections, “deletion” of 13.2 crore voters, “amending” Form 6 without Parliamentary oversight or knowledge, “seizing” electoral rolls through ECINET, “shutting out” the other two Election Commissioners and acting at the behest of PM Modi and Shah.

The resolution seeking to indict Gyanesh Kumar was read out by Kharge. The resolution stated that the Members of Parliament of the INDIA bloc resolved to impeach him (CEC) on the “charges” laid down by it. In the first charge, the INDIA bloc alleged that the CEC Kumar has overseen and participated in a “devious and malevolent criminal conspiracy orchestrated by the BJP to steal national and State elections”.

“He (CEC) has ensured the intentional deletion of 13.2 crore voters, depriving them of the fundamental right to vote guaranteed to them by the Constitution of India,” the INDIA bloc resolution read.

The Opposition bloc also alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner illegally amended Form 6 of the Registration of Electors’ Rules, 1960, without Parliamentary oversight or knowledge.