Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday claimed that messages had been coming from Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, and Rahul had asked him to "turn approver", alleging that he [Gyanesh Kumar] had committed a crime. Responding to a question at a press conference in New Delhi who asked whether Kumar had tried to contact him or send him a message, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said, "Messages come. Messages come, and he is watching this press conference."
Asked what his response to Kumar was, Rahul said, "Turn approver. You have done a crime and, frankly, you are not the main, main criminal. You made a mistake. You have made a mistake. You are not the mind behind the mistake," Rahul Gandhi said.
The remarks came ahead of the INDIA bloc's planned march to the Supreme Court on Monday to file a petition over allegations against the Election Commission. Opposition leaders are also gathering at Connaught Place at 1.30 pm as part of their protest against the poll body.
Rahul Gandhi has accused the Election Commission of undermining India's democratic process and demanded Kumar's removal. The Congress leader said the Opposition's resistance would continue until the Chief Election Commissioner was removed, the electoral system revamped and justice delivered.
During the press conference, Rahul also claimed that around 200 government officials were in touch with the Opposition and sharing information, including officials in the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and Ministry of External Affairs. He alleged that the government was attempting to protect those responsible for wrongdoing and said the Opposition would not back down from its campaign.
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