The Congress held protests in several state capitals on Friday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar following a report by The Indian Express that two election commissioners had recorded objections 14 times in 10 months to decisions taken by the Election Commission in connection with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Demonstrations were held in Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Bhopal, Patna, Guwahati and other state capitals. Several Congress leaders were detained during the protests, including Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi in Guwahati and Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai in Lucknow.
In several cities, police used force to stop the protesters. In Lucknow, Congress workers clashed with police after they were prevented from marching towards the Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Hazratganj.
The party has announced plans to take the protests to the district level across the country on Monday. The Congress Working Committee is also scheduled to meet in Delhi on Tuesday to discuss its next course of action and the demand for Kumar’s resignation.
Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the campaign against the CEC was only beginning.
“Gyanesh will go, it’s a matter of time… Congress will make it happen. The protests held by our leaders and workers across the country demanding his removal are just the beginning. There will be a massive outpouring of the defenders of democracy against the ‘deshdrohis’ who are out to destroy it,” Venugopal said.
He appealed to Indians concerned about “saving democracy” to join the campaign and put pressure on the government to ensure accountability over what he described as the “daylight robbery of our vote”.
Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh also accused the government of using force against protesters. He said Congress workers, along with citizens, students and social activists, had taken to the streets to demand accountability over what he called the “usurpation” of their constitutional right to vote.
“A terrified Modi government unleashed brutal action against the protesters and detained Congress leaders and workers, along with young citizens and students, as well as social activists, at multiple locations across the country,” Ramesh said.
Ramesh, a Rajya Sabha member, further alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were facing growing public anger and described the protests as a response to what he called the government’s handling of the electoral process.
