New Delhi [India], September 25 (ANI): The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Friday marched from Raisina Road to Jantar Mantar in the national capital, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, as Congress protests against the Election Commission intensified across several states.
The protest was part of the Congress' nationwide programme against the functioning of the Election Commission and its handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Speaking to ANI here, Indian Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib said, “We will march forward, and we will keep marching; nobody can stop us. This Gyanesh, the country's traitor! After committing betrayal, he thinks he will be saved—he will not be saved. His path to Tihar jail is fixed. Gyanesh, it's done, bro! You cannot escape. And if by mistake you try to leave the country, Youth Congress members are standing at every airport. If we spot you trying to flee the country, you will be caught right there, Gyanesh. You cannot escape. Your imprisonment is certain.”
“You have robbed 1.4 billion countrymen of their right to vote. We will not let you off. This struggle isn't just Congress's; it belongs to every citizen of this country. And until this Gyanesh is behind bars, until he is handcuffed, we will not back down. This Gyanesh will have to go to jail. This traitor, a pawn of Amit Shah and Modi, cannot escape. To keep them in power, he tried to destroy the country and its democracy. He cannot escape. Gyanesh will go to jail. We will not spare this Gyanesh,” he further added.
In Patna, Bihar, police used water cannons to disperse Congress workers protesting against Gyanesh Kumar and demanding his resignation.
Similar scenes were witnessed in Punjab, where police deployed water cannons as Congress workers staged a demonstration in Chandigarh. Some protesters climbed atop police vans during the protest.
Congress workers also staged demonstrations in several other states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur.
In Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, Congress leaders and workers staged a protest outside the State Election Commission’s office over the ongoing issues concerning the Election Commission. During the demonstration, protesters blackened the official board displayed outside the State Election Commission’s office.
In Dehradun, Uttarakhand Congress leaders and workers, led by state in-charge Kumari Selja and Pradesh Congress Committee president Ganesh Godiyal, marched towards the Election Office at the state Secretariat.
In Manipur, Congress workers led by PCC president Okram Ibobi Singh and Congress Legislature Party leader Keisham Meghachandra Singh marched towards the Chief Electoral Office at Lamphelpat. Protesters demanded Kumar’s arrest and prosecution and burnt an effigy of the CEC. The demonstration later turned tense, with protesters scuffling with police, following which tear gas shells were fired.
In Jammu, heavy police deployment was reported outside the Election Commission office, while Congress MLAs in Srinagar staged a protest inside the Legislative Assembly, carrying banners demanding Kumar’s resignation. Demonstrations were also held in Lucknow, Guwahati and Kolkata.
The protests come amid a political row over the SIR exercise following an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months concerning decisions and procedures related to electoral rolls and database access.
The Election Commission has rejected the characterisation of these objections as institutional dissent, saying operational queries, internal feedback and administrative suggestions are part of the normal functioning of a multi-member constitutional body. The ECI has maintained that all final decisions concerning SIR were unanimous.
The Congress has also indicated that opposition parties may move an impeachment motion against Kumar in Parliament. The issue is expected to come up at the Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled for September 29 in New Delhi. (ANI)
SIR Row: Youth Congress marches to Jantar Mantar as protests intensify; water cannons used in Bihar, Punjab
