New Delhi [India], October 12 (ANI): Congress MP Imran Masood on Monday asserted that the INDIA bloc remained united behind Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi as opposition leaders marched towards the Supreme Court to raise alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Speaking to ANI, Masood emphasised the solidarity among opposition parties amid their protest against the Election Commission and their demand for action against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
"The entire INDIA alliance is united. Everyone stands with Rahul Gandhi," Congress MP Imran Masood told ANI.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Amar Singh alleged that democratic institutions and constitutional safeguards were under threat, accusing the Election Commission of functioning at the behest of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership. He also claimed that a large number of voters had been deleted from electoral rolls.
“Democracy of India, Constitution of India are under threat. Voter list is being 'stolen', vote is being 'stolen', election is being 'stolen'. CEC is acting at the behest of PM and HM. Supreme Court is scared of them...Names of crores of voters were deleted,” Amar Singh told ANI.
Demanding that the outcomes of four recent state elections won by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) be set aside, Singh called for the CEC's immediate resignation and insisted that only voter registries predating June 25 be considered legally valid.
He added, “The 4 state elections that the BJP won should be considered void. CEC should resign. Only the voter list before June 25 should be considered valid..."
Reacting to recent remarks by the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha expressed confidence in the judiciary and described it as an important institution for protecting democratic values.
"The CJI knows everything and is pointing towards the correct procedures. Resentment towards him? He is a ray of hope in these dark and dismal times," Manoj Kumar told ANI.
The march was led by Rahul Gandhi, with several INDIA bloc constituents participating in the demonstration. The alliance includes former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, and leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM).
Congress leader Sachin Pilot said the opposition's primary demand was for the Supreme Court to hear its concerns regarding the functioning of the Election Commission. He also alleged that police personnel were using force against protesters and that opposition leaders were being detained.
"The entire country is on the streets today. Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress workers from across the country have gathered here. All of us just one demand, for the Supreme Court to hear us. What the CEC did is illegal and unconstitutional. He will have to resign from his post. The proof of 'vote chori' produced by us proves that we will have to fight the battle to save democracy in this country. We want to speak peacefully, in a Gandhian manner. But the police are beating up the youth. Leaders are being jailed. This is wrong. I think the Supreme Court must hear us so that the correct measures can be taken. CEC has no right to continue in the position...This Govt is pushing forward Police to protect itself," Pilot said.
The INDIA bloc leaders said they would demand the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner and sign a petition at the apex court.
Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadoriya said the protest would continue until their demands were addressed.
"The march is being led to the Supreme Court to demand the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner and that action be taken to send him to jail. This struggle and protest will continue until he resigns and is sent to jail."
CPI General Secretary D Raja said, "Inside the Supreme Court, 10 leaders will sign the petition and submit it on behalf of the INDIA bloc. I am one of the signatories."
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also alleged that the Election Commission was working at the BJP's behest, citing alleged discrepancies in voter lists in Uttar Pradesh despite the completion of the SIR exercise.
"BJP is still getting fake votes registered. We hope that the Election Commission will stay impartial. SIR was ongoing in UP and it has now concluded. Still, there are a large number of double votes. You conducted such a huge exercise, spent crores of rupees, and deployed officials for the same. Still, you could not rectify the voter list...What can you expect from them then? Why the SIR then? EC seems to be working at the BJP's behest."
Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav said the demonstration was not intended to display political strength but to raise concerns shared by people across the country.
"This is not a display of strength, but a demand of the entire country... People are protesting everywhere in the country."
Despite the presence of high security, the INDIA bloc delegation has registered a strong protest against the Election Commission and, with them vowing to continue, the issue continues to dominate. (ANI)
"Entire INDIA alliance is united," says Congress MP Imran Masood amid New Delhi march
