Congress says Delhi turned into 'fortress', demands Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and SIR suspension

New Delhi, Oct 10 (UNI) The national capital has been turned into a "fortress" with armed security personnel deployed across the city amid protests by young people over alleged threats to their constitutional right to vote, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and immediate suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

In a strongly worded post on X, Ramesh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union Home Minister Amit Shah of being unsettled by peaceful demonstrations against what the Congress alleges is the systematic exclusion of eligible voters from electoral rolls. "The nation's capital has been turned into a fortress. Armed security personnel are all over the place," he wrote. "The PM-HM duo is extremely nervous and rattled by a peaceful protest by youth deeply concerned with the planned stealing of their Constitutional right to vote guaranteed by Article 326," Ramesh alleged. His remarks came amid an intensifying confrontation between the Congress-led Opposition and the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the SIR exercise, alleged large-scale deletions from electoral rolls and the accountability of the poll panel. Opposition parties have accused the Commission of compromising the integrity of the electoral process and demanded the restoration of allegedly deleted names, greater transparency in the revision exercise and effective safeguards to ensure that eligible citizens are not deprived of their voting rights.

Ramesh also questioned the circumstances surrounding Kumar's appointment as Chief Election Commissioner and criticised the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023. The legislation was passed by Parliament in December 2023 amid the suspension of Opposition MPs during the Winter Session. "There is incontrovertible evidence that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar faithfully executed the orders given to him by the destructive duo when he was appointed," Ramesh alleged, referring to Modi and Shah. He further claimed that the legislation had been pushed through Parliament when 145 Opposition MPs were suspended, alleging that it granted the CEC "lifelong immunity".

Accusing Kumar of having lied to the Supreme Court, the Congress leader said his resignation had become a "moral imperative". He argued, however, that the CEC's departure would constitute only the beginning of a wider effort to restore public confidence in democratic institutions. "But it is only the first step to reclaim the very foundations of our democracy, which is so very essential for fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of all people, especially the youth," Ramesh wrote.

The Congress has made the suspension of the SIR a central demand in its confrontation with the Election Commission, contending that the exercise risks disenfranchising millions of eligible citizens. Reiterating the party's charge, Ramesh claimed that nearly 14 crore Indians had already been deprived of their voting rights through the revision process. "The suspension of the SIR that has already disenfranchised nearly 14 crore Indians is essential to restore public faith and trust in our election system," he said. The controversy has intensified political scrutiny of the Election Commission, with Opposition parties questioning the transparency of the revision exercise and demanding institutional accountability.

The Commission's conduct and the potential impact of electoral-roll revisions have emerged as major points of contention between the ruling establishment and the Opposition. Article 326 of the Constitution provides for elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies on the basis of adult suffrage, subject to constitutional and statutory qualifications. The dispute over the SIR has consequently become a major political flashpoint, with the Opposition insisting that the revision of electoral rolls must not lead to the exclusion of eligible voters and that public confidence in the country's electoral system must be safeguarded.

UNI SKA ATP AAB