INDIA bloc on Wednesday finalised a joint action plan over the SIR row, including holding rallies and 'save democracy marches', with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asserting that all parties agreed that elections should be held through ballot papers instead of EVMs.
NEW DELHI — INDIA bloc on Wednesday finalised a joint action plan over the SIR row, including holding rallies and 'save democracy marches', with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asserting that all parties agreed that elections should be held through ballot papers instead of EVMs.
The opposition grouping made the assertion after a three-and-a-half hour meeting of its leaders, including Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and NCP(SP) MP Supriya Sule.
At a joint briefing by INDIA bloc leaders after their meeting, Kharge said the leaders have decided on a joint action plan.
Kharge said the parties have decided that involving young people and NGOs, "save democracy" marches will be taken out from October 2-8 and demonstrations will be held before the district magistrate's office.
On October 6, all opposition MPs will march to the Election Commission, he said.
The Leaders of Opposition will seek appointment from the President of India and will make a representation in the second week of October against "the vote chori government", he said.
"We will hold a five big rallies and a date and place of which would be decided. We will tell people how the government is snatching the right of the people to elect their government for running the country," he said.
"Now everyone is realising that what Rahul ji was saying is correct and it is attracting attention. First Prime Minister Narendra Modi did 'notebandi' now doing 'votebandi', taking away people's rights," kharge said.
INDIA bloc leaders appeal to the Supreme Court that it should expedite the cases of SIR and electoral malpractices, Kharge said.
Asked about reverting to ballots instead of EVMs, Kharge said everyone 100 per cent agreed on it that all elections should be on ballot and that the laws framed by this "chori government" in power should be annulled.
He said some leaders participated in the meeting online like Shiv Sena (UBT)chief Uddhav Thackeray and Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM chief Hemant Soren.
"With unanimity, everyone vowed to fight together," he said.
Kharge charged that the real "puppeteers" of the Election Commission are Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
"The pawns are just a front, the PM, HM are behind the vote chori and thus they are winning polls," Kharge alleged, adding that they are "harassing" those fighting for democracy.
Rahul Gandhi said all parties are of the opinion that the democratic structure of India has been attacked by Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Shah and CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
"We are not going to take it lying down, we will ensure that those who have destroyed Indian democracy are punished," he said.
Rahul Gandhi said Opposition has been quite successful in conveying to people that the PM and the HM have destroyed democracy and elections are stolen.
"I mentioned to all opposition leaders that they are the collective defenders of the Constitution and in the next few months we will make serious changes in the country," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
In her remarks, Banerjee said the whole issue was a "scandalous matter".
"Gyanesh Kumar is a 'chor', daaku'... he must resign immediately. Let us save democracy. Voting is our constitutional right," the former West Bengal chief minister said.
"Our forceful demand is that if Gyanesh Kumar is not removed, this (agitation will go from 'mitti to aasmaan' (every corner)," Banerjee said.
The parties that attended the meeting were the Congress, Samajwadi Party, All India Trinamool Congress, NCP(SP), Shiv Sena (UBT), Rashtriya Janata Dal, CPI(M), CPI, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, CPI-ML, IUML, Kerala Congress (M), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, RevolutionarySocialist Party, Kerala Congress (Jacob) and All India Forward Bloc. Independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal also attended the meeting.
The meeting comes days after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders on the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) that they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
Under fire over the red flags raised by two of its commissioners over the SIR process, the EC has asserted that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberations in any institution and all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.