INDIA bloc leaders give final shape to CEC's Oct 30 'public impeachment'

    New Delhi, Oct 29 (PTI) Several INDIA bloc leaders have given the final shape to the "public impeachment" proceedings that they intend to carry out against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence on Friday as a symbolic protest over the "vote chori" issue.

    The INDIA bloc leaders met at Kharge's residence here on Thursday while he was away in Bengaluru. They met to deliberate on the "public impeachment" procedure to be followed as opposition MPs gather for a mock Parliament sitting on Friday.

    Congress general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, TMC's Derek O'Brien, Samajwadi Party's Harendra Malik, JMM's Mahua Maji and CPI(M)'s John Brittas, among others, participated in the meeting.

    Speaking with the media in Bengaluru, Kharge said the opposition's protest is continuing because of the "vote theft and the mischief" carried out by CEC Kumar.

    "We are protesting against that and will continue to do so. All parties are supporting us. Even tomorrow, there is mock Parliament and on November 1, we are having this rally and people from across the country are coming. We will fight. In a democracy, if you don't fight, people will not be awakened," the Congress president said.

    After attending the meeting at Kharge's residence here, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said the details of how to proceed with the "public impeachment" of Kumar were deliberated on.

    "Most of the INDIA bloc leaders were present and we went through all the points on how to proceed with the public impeachment," he said.

    Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said, "We want every important issue related to the SIR and vote theft to be discussed. The pain of the people and the attack on democracy should be brought to light through discussion, and people should be encouraged that we are all united in saving democracy. A message of unity will go out tomorrow."

    SP's Harendra Malik said only one person from each party will speak at the "public impeachment" of Kumar.

    "It has been decided that either the party leader himself will speak tomorrow or nominate someone to speak on his behalf," he added.

    On Wednesday, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that having been denied other locations, the "INDIA janbandhan" will be holding the public impeachment of Kumar at Kharge's 10, Rajaji Marg residence at 3.30 pm on October 30.

    "The CEC has demonstrably violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution. He has systematically subverted the very foundations of our electoral democracy. He has, to put it bluntly, lied to the Supreme Court," Ramesh said on X.

    "He has been the willing executioner on behalf of the Diabolical Duo whose turn will come next," he said, in an apparent attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

    The Congress on Tuesday claimed it was denied permission to hold the "public impeachment" of CEC Kumar and accused the government of trying to "silence" the voice of common people after "destroying" the electoral system.

    The Congress and other opposition parties have been demanding the resignation of Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)