NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah may be at the top of the political chain of command, but Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that the opposition’s first target is Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.Explaining why the INDIA bloc has upped its attack on the election chief, the Congress leader accused him of acting as an instrument of the ruling establishment and warned that those allegedly involved in undermining democratic institutions would be held accountable.“Mr Modi and Mr Shah might be on top. We will deal with them, but you are their instruments, and so you are our first target,” Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday at the INDIA bloc event in Delhi, where opposition leaders held a symbolic public impeachment of Gyanesh Kumar.The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha warned the CEC and other officials against assuming that constitutional immunity would shield them from accountability.“So if Mr Gyanesh Kumar thinks, or the five or seven people below him think, that immunity will save them, I would kindly suggest to them, with love and affection, to take a look at what is going on in the country. Please understand the mood of the people outside. You will see tomorrow itself,” he said.Rahul Gandhi was referring to the opposition’s planned march and public rally in Delhi on Sunday, which he described as an opportunity for a united opposition to demonstrate public anger over alleged electoral irregularities.“A united opposition is going to show you exactly what the mood of the people of this country is,” he said.
‘We are not going to let you escape’
Rahul Gandhi said the opposition’s action against CEC was not an isolated protest against one constitutional functionary but part of a larger fight over what he alleged was the misuse of democratic institutions.“You can continue to rig the elections. You can continue to control and allow the misuse of the CBI, the ED, and every single institution of this country. But we guarantee you that this is a temporary phenomenon,” he said.The Congress leader insisted that Gyanesh Kumar was only one among several people the opposition held responsible for what it described as an assault on the country’s democratic institutions.“We are not going to let you escape. I also want to address the people who have carried out this assault on the Union of India. Gyanesh Kumar is just one element; there are many others. We know who they are, and we understand deeply who they are,” Rahul Gandhi said.“This is a warning to you: things are shifting. Please hear this warning and realise that this is a new political weapon sitting in the garden, and this weapon is going to hurt you very badly if you continue down your path,” he said.“I am saying this with love and affection; we are not nasty or evil people, but we will protect the Constitution and the voice of our people.”Rahul Gandhi also backed the demand for legal action against the CEC, saying Gyanesh Kumar should not only face impeachment but also be tried in court for treason.“I fully support the motion that Mr Gyanesh Kumar should not only be impeached but should also be tried in a court of law for treason so that justice can be served,” he said.
INDIA bloc holds ‘public impeachment’ of CEC
Rahul Gandhi’s remarks came at an unprecedented INDIA bloc event in which opposition MPs and leaders, along with civil society representatives, passed a resolution seeking Gyanesh Kumar’s impeachment and accusing him of facilitating the deletion of voters’ names to influence election outcomes.The symbolic proceedings were held at the lawns of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence at 10, Rajaji Marg in New Delhi. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the meeting, which was organised in a setting resembling parliamentary proceedings.The resolution was moved by Kharge, seconded by Samajwadi Party leader Harendra Malik and supported by Rahul Gandhi and several other opposition MPs and civil society members. It was adopted unanimously by a show of hands.Around 250 opposition MPs, civil society representatives and mediapersons attended the event. Some people who alleged that their names had been wrongly deleted from electoral rolls were also present.Rahul Gandhi acknowledged that holding what resembled parliamentary proceedings outside Parliament might appear unusual, but said the opposition had been left with little choice.“I don’t think anything like this has ever happened in history,” he said, adding that the gathering of opposition leaders and civil society members in a garden might appear absurd.“But we had no other option, as every single institution is closed to us,” he said.The stage was designed to resemble the old Lok Sabha chamber, with a wooden-panelled backdrop and seats arranged in a semi-circular formation.Kharge, who moved the motion, alleged that the right to vote was under threat because the Election Commission was functioning at the behest of PM Modi and Shah. He accused the poll panel of failing to act independently and raised concerns over alleged electoral manipulation.
BJP calls it ‘mockery’ of democracy
The BJP hit back at the opposition’s symbolic proceedings, accusing the INDIA bloc of making a mockery of Parliament and democratic institutions.
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BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the Congress was repeatedly attempting to launch its leader politically without success.“Go ahead and hold your mock Parliament or take out your marches; the world has already understood that Rahul Gandhi simply lacks the fuel. This ‘satellite’ is never going to launch,” Patra said.He added that the opposition could have Gandhi as a “mock Prime Minister for life”.