New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the process of repairing Indian democracy would begin once Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar leaves office, a day after opposition leaders met President Droupadi Murmu to seek his removal.
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh also criticised the security arrangements in the national capital ahead of the proposed Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest, alleging that Delhi had been turned into a fortress with armed security personnel deployed across the city.
Ramesh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah of being unsettled by a planned peaceful demonstration by young people concerned about alleged attempts to undermine their constitutional right to vote.
He alleged that Kumar had acted in accordance with the wishes of the ruling leadership following his appointment as chief election commissioner.
Ramesh also criticised the law passed by Parliament in December 2023 that provides protection from legal proceedings for certain acts performed by the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners in the discharge of their official duties. He said the legislation was passed when 145 opposition MPs had been suspended.
Calling Kumar’s resignation a “moral necessity”, Ramesh alleged that the CEC had misled the Supreme Court. He said, however, that his resignation would be only the first step towards restoring public confidence in the country’s democratic institutions.
The Congress leader also demanded the suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, claiming the exercise had already deprived nearly 14 crore Indians of their voting rights.
These claims reflect the Congress leadership’s position and have not been independently established.
