Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK, on Thursday joined a Congress-led protest in Chennai seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, marking the party’s first participation in an anti-CEC agitation since it joined the INDIA bloc on October 3.
The “Protect Democracy” protest was organised by Congress MP B Manickam Tagore and the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, news agency ANI reported.
Leaders from all seven constituent parties participated in the demonstration, which took place amid ongoing protests in the national capital over alleged electoral roll irregularities.
Rahul-Vijay meet
The TVK’s participation in the protest comes days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK chief C Joseph Vijay in Chennai on October 10.
According to Congress leadership Rahul had invited Vijay and his party to take part in future consultations, campaigns and protests against the BJP, South First reported.
Gandhi met TVK chief Vijay at his suburban Neelankarai residence, news agency PTI reported, citing party sources. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed several political issues.
Rahul also congratulated Vijay on TVK’s victories in the recent by-elections in Dharapuram and Madurantakam.
The meeting was the first between the two leaders since the formation of the Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance in Tamil Nadu.
Congress demands CEC's resignation
Congress MP Vijay Vasanth called for Kumar’s resignation, alleging that the Election Commission was acting in favour of the BJP.
“We are insisting on the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar... The Election Commission is working on behalf of the BJP, which is undemocratic... The BJP government does not listen to the people's voice... In order to add strength, the TVK government is also joining this protest today...” he told ANI.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) chief KM Kader Mohideen, Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary P Shanmugam, Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary M Veerapandian, and CPI (Marxist-Leninist) state secretary Pala Asaithamby also participated in the agitation.
Nivedit Alva, the All India Congress Committee’s in-charge for Tamil Nadu, was among the Congress functionaries present at the protest.
SIR concerns at protest
During the protest, speakers alleged that millions of voters, particularly Muslims, tribal groups and marginalised communities, had been systematically removed from electoral rolls under the SIR process. They claimed that more than 97 lakh voters had been struck off the rolls in Tamil Nadu alone.
The speakers argued that the exercise undermined the Constitution, describing it as a “democratic massacre”, and raised concerns that election processes were being manipulated to favour the ruling BJP.
(With inputs from agencies)