Indian opposition stages protest in New Delhi, seeks election chief’s resignation
- Ruling party calls rally ‘deliberate conspiracy to hand the country over to anarchy’
By Ahmad Adil
NEW DELHI (AA) - Indian opposition parties held a rally in the national capital, New Delhi, on Sunday to protest the alleged removal of voters from electoral rolls across the country.
New Delhi has been witnessing massive protests following a report in September that two election commissioners had raised concerns with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over decisions related to the revision of voter lists in several states and federal territories. The protesters have demanded Kumar’s resignation.
On Sunday, thousands attended a protest rally at New Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, with the main opposition Congress party stating that “when democracy is under attack, silence is not an option.” Leaders from the INDIA opposition bloc participated in Sunday’s protest.
The INDIA alliance, which includes more than a dozen opposition parties, has announced further protests over the issue.
Indian Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi said during his address that India’s voice was saying “that we will not let the country’s democracy and constitution be destroyed.”
“The (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi government is not bigger than the constitution. The constitution is the greatest,” he said.
Tejashwi Yadav, an opposition leader from Bihar state, noted that the “fight is between the country’s voters and the cheaters.”
“That’s why we must come together to save the country’s democracy. We have to teach such people a lesson,” he said.
The Election Commission has conducted special intensive revision (SIR) exercises of electoral rolls in several states. The opposition alleges that a large number of voters have been removed from the electoral rolls, a charge denied by authorities.
Reacting to the rally, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it was a “deliberate conspiracy to hand the country over to anarchy in the name of democracy.”
“This is a foolish and meticulously planned drama by those who have been defeated and repeatedly rejected by the people, which the public understands very well,” Indian Minister and senior BJP leader Jagat Prakash Nadda said Sunday.