New Delhi
Revelations about differences in the Election Commission with claims that decisions were taken without concurrence of two Election Commissioners on Wednesday led to calls by the Opposition for impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and cancellation of the contentious Special Intensive Revision.
A report by the Indian Express said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded their objections at least 14 times over ten months claiming that major decisions with statutory implications were taken in the name of the poll body but without their knowledge.
Their major objections were about the changes in Form 6 used for inclusion in voter lists and centralisation of electoral rolls by edging out the control exercised by Electoral Registration Officers at the grassroot level, the report noted.
With an impeachment notice pending before Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan, Opposition leaders ratcheted up the attack on Kumar while asking for the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of the report, as they called the “minority” EC decisions as “illegal”.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said, “vote chori is a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our constitution. The BJP, RSS and EC who organised it have committed an act of treason. Justice will be served.” In a video posted on ‘X’, he said, “I want to make it clear. Whatever you (EC) are doing is wrong. This is treason, this is against the country. Don’t forget, time will come when we catch you.”
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said, “how the hell can one man, acting on His Master’s orders, strike off names at whim? How can he sideline fellow Constitutional officers to only take blatantly illegal steps that put our democracy in danger? We demand Gyanesh Kumar’s immediate removal and a Supreme Court-monitored impartial investigation to expose the rot that has destroyed the ECI’s credibility.”
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien recalled the notice to remove the CEC submitted by the Opposition five months ago and said, “it is time to bring out the notice…Impeach CEC to save democracy.”