Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 29: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday demanded the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation on moral grounds over what he described as pressure on the poll panel chief.
Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in New Delhi, Kharge said the party would take the issue of alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the election process to the streets as well as Parliament.
Kharge placed five key demands before the CWC. He called for all data relating to changes in electoral rolls to be made public, an opportunity for deleted voters to appeal, and timely provision of electoral rolls to all political parties in a simple format.
He also demanded an independent, time-bound probe wherever serious anomalies are found and called for greater transparency in the electoral process so that there is no perception that information is being withheld.
Kharge alleged that the two Election Commissioners had described certain actions of the CEC as arbitrary and unreasonable and accused the poll panel chief of favouring the ruling party.
These are allegations made by Kharge and the Congress; the Election Commission has maintained that differing views can arise during institutional deliberations and has said its SIR orders received the consent of all three commissioners.
Kharge also demanded Prime Minister Modi’s resignation, alleging that the CEC had been pressured. He said the Congress would continue to raise concerns over electoral transparency and the independence of institutions.
The Congress president called on party workers to ensure that electoral rolls remain transparent, the poll process impartial and the voting rights of citizens protected.
He also thanked Congress workers and leaders for supporting Rahul Gandhi, who has raised allegations concerning electoral roll irregularities and questioned the role of the CEC.
The Congress Working Committee meeting comes amid an ongoing political dispute over the SIR exercise and reported differences within the Election Commission. The Election Commission has rejected allegations of unilateral decision-making and has maintained that its decisions and orders follow established legal procedures.