Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday termed Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar a “puppet” of the ruling BJP and called for his immediate removal from office.
The Congress president also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he pressured the poll panel.
Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting amid the ongoing row over the functioning of the poll panel, Kharge said Gyanesh Kumar has “no right to remain in office”. “Together with this, the prime minister should also resign on moral grounds for ‘pressuring’ the CEC,” the Congress chief said.
Kharge alleged that voters’ names are being removed from electoral rolls and accused the Election Commission of acting in favour of the Modi government. The remarks came amid a political row over the EC and the SIR exercise, with Opposition parties raising questions over the functioning of the poll panel. Kharge said Congress wants the Election Commission to remain independent and credible, so that both the ruling party and opposition can trust its decisions.
Maintaining that the Congress’s fight is not against any particular party, institution or individual, Kharge insisted that the party is fighting “for voters’ rights, the Constitution and the democratic system”.
Kharge also praised Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for raising the issue of voter list manipulation and said that all his apprehensions have proved to be true.
