New Delhi:
The united Opposition's campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will move on parallel platforms starting today. While the Opposition will continue the battle onto streets -- boosted by the the Supreme Court's direction to restore normalcy and bar illegal detentions -- it is also taking the legal route, questioning the law that provides immunity to Election Commissioners from any penal action.
All the INDIA bloc leaders are assembling in Delhi for the crucial day. Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee is already in Delhi. Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Tejashwi Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav are expected to arrive in the morning.
In a statement in Bengaluru, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Modi-ji enacted a law in 2023 granting legal protection to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. They were given immunity not even enjoyed by the President of India or the Chief Justice of the country. But why was such special protection granted to an Election Commissioner?"
"It was after granting this protection that the entire process of vote theft, EVM manipulation, and electoral fraud began. No matter how many errors the CEC commits, they have been granted lifelong immunity from accountability for those actions," he added.
"This implies a direct attempt to snatch away the people's votes and [undermine] democracy... it is a conspiracy to commit fraud against [the people]. This is precisely what is happening, and we will continue our fight against it," he said.
The INDIA alliance has already met President Droupadi Murmu and submitted a memorandum. However, according to the sources, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has refused to meet them, asking them to file a petition instead.
The memorandum they plan to submit will detail the allegations against the Chief Election Commissioner and discuss the 2023 law that shields him from investigation or punishment after retirement.
The memorandum will also address the exclusion of the Chief Justice from the selection process for the Chief Election Commissioner.
It will also raise the issue of alleged vote theft via the ETPBS (Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System) and present documentary evidence to substantiate these claims.
The Congress has instructed all its Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs to remain in Delhi. Rahul Gandhi postponed a scheduled visit to Goa and has met the party general secretaries and other leaders.
Since October 6, when the INDIA Alliance undertook the march from Parliament to the Election Commission office that made headlines following the detention of its key leaders including Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, the bloc has been continuously staging protests. These include demonstrations in Central Delhi following a 'lunch meeting' to a sit-in at Rajghat.
The bloc leaders said today that over Saturday and Sunday, more than 30,000 police personnel and more than 7,000 paramilitary troops were deployed in Delhi. On Saturday around 3000 protesters who were aiming to join the demonstration of the Cockroach Janata Party against the Chief Election Commioner, were detained. Such an unprecedented event needs unprecedented steps to counter this, the Bloc leaders said.