New Delhi [India], October 6 (ANI):Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader John Brittas on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the election machinery, asserting that top election officials have forfeited all moral authority to remain in office following severe judicial strictures over voter deletions.
As opposition MPs started arriving in Parliament ahead of a planned march toward the Election Commission headquarters, Brittas accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and his administration of misleading the country regarding controversial procedural modifications to Form 6 and the mass disenfranchisement of voters under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
“The position is very clear. After it has been made amply clear by the Supreme Court that Gyanesh Kumar and Co. have lied to the nation with regard to Form 6 and mass disenfranchisement of voters of this country. They don't even have the iota of moral authority to continue in their office. And the march which we are taking out today from the Parliament House to the Election Commission will be a turning point in the history of India. If they cling on to the office any more, the entire nation would be up in arms against the Election Commission. The protest would be there in every nook and corner of this country," John Brittas said.
He added, “See, how long can they restrict the citizens and the MPs and the activists? Can they put all of us behind bars? Do all the jails in India have the facility to accommodate those people who are agitating? These people are living in a fool's paradise. Why do they want to protect Gyanesh Kumar? It has been amply revealed that Gyanesh Kumar was lying, blatantly lying."
Meanwhile, Congress MP Hibi Eden echoed similar concerns, accusing the poll panel of functioning under executive influence and undermining foundational democratic principles.
“Constantly raising concerns regarding the transparency of elections in this country. Fascism in its new form is known as the Election Commission of India. A free, fair, and transparent election should happen, which is the basis of our democracy, and that has been going on for a very long time in this country. Unfortunately, the recent SIR activities, the exclusion of voters based on religion and caste, have been a question of concern for all,” Congress MP Hibi Eden told ANI.
He added, “Unfortunately, the Election Commissioner, Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar, has just been a puppet of the government and the ruling party, especially the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. So, we demand that a free, fair, and transparent system of elections should happen in this country. And on the basis of that, Congress has been doing massive protests across the country in every state. And today, the INDIA alliance MPs would be protesting at the Election Commission's office to make sure that our country needs democracy."
Amplifying the opposition's critique, Congress MP Dharamveer Gandhi termed the electoral roll revisions an unprecedented assault on democratic structures, pointing to massive numbers of deleted entries.
He said, “Look, the main demand is that the democratic process of elections, which is the core soul of Indian democracy and republic, has been crushed and suppressed. Its purpose has been hijacked. 13 crore votes have been deleted, depriving people of their democratic right to cast their votes.”
The Congress MP stated that this is the biggest fraud in Indian political history committed against the people of India by the present government with the cooperation of Gyanesh Kumar.
“This is the biggest fraud in Indian political history committed against the people of India by the present government with the cooperation of Gyanesh Kumar. This is the murder of democracy. We will never accept this and will raise our voice across the entire country against it. Who has captured democratic institutions like the Election Commission? The BJP has done it. ED, CBI, Media, and even up to the courts—they have exerted their influence and turned them into their pocket organisations. This is extremely dangerous for democracy and completely unacceptable,” Congress MP Dharamveer said.
The remarks came following the arrival of opposition MPs in Parliament ahead of a planned march to the poll panel’s headquarters; opposition parties staged a massive protest march toward the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi.
Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties will participate in the march and raise their concerns before the Election Commission (EC). The protest is part of a broader "Save Democracy" campaign announced by the Opposition, under which its leaders have been holding demonstrations and public programmes against the EC.
The march to Nirvachan Sadan is expected to further intensify the political confrontation between the Opposition and the poll panel over electoral roll-related issues.
The Supreme Court's observation gives the INDIA bloc a boost ahead of the march. (ANI)
"Can they put all of us behind bars?": Opposition MPs slam poll panel ahead of INDIA bloc protest against CEC
