GUWAHATI, October 23 (Aalimi Nation) – Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Friday accused the Election Commission of India of having been "hollowed out" and demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, a charge the Commission has not responded to publicly.
Speaking to reporters in Guwahati, Gogoi, who also heads the party's Assam unit, said the poll body had been stripped of its constitutional authority. "Every day we are receiving reports and news that the Election Commission of India has been totally manipulated," he said. He did not detail the reports he was referring to.
Demand for the CEC's removal
Gogoi alleged that Kumar had sworn loyalty to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah rather than to the Constitution. He said a person who places political leaders above the Constitution has no right to hold a constitutional office and "has to go".
The statements are allegations made by a political leader. No response from the Election Commission, Kumar, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Prime Minister or the Home Minister was available at the time of writing, and the claims have not been independently verified.
The demand fits into a wider campaign by opposition parties over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The INDIA bloc has been holding "Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao" rallies across the country, which Gogoi said had paused during Navratri, Dussehra and Durga Puja and have now resumed. He said the bloc plans a mock Parliament on October 28, though details were not final.
Remarks on the Prime Minister
Responding to the Prime Minister's recent remarks targeting the Congress and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Gogoi said Modi repeatedly named Gandhi, which he read as a sign of preoccupation. He said the Prime Minister should instead address concerns of the middle class, students, Manipur and drought-hit regions.
Gogoi also said the government appeared to be on the defensive, pointing to its references to the 1972 Shimla Agreement in the political debate. He questioned whether the government could last until 2029, citing what he called a "bankruptcy of vision", and accused the BJP of being focused on how to "steal the vote".
Assam: the Zubeen Garg case
Gogoi also turned to Assam, where he accused the state government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of failing to deliver justice in the case of singer Zubeen Garg. He noted that the chief minister had told the Assembly that Garg was murdered, but alleged that the state's Special Investigation Team had not placed all facts and evidence before the court.
He pointed to the fact that those arrested in the case were receiving bail one after another. "There is apprehension among people that the SIT formed by Himanta Biswa Sarma was not constituted to deliver justice to Zubeen Garg, but to protect those connected" to his death, Gogoi said. He called the failure to secure justice the biggest stain on Sarma's career. No response from the state government was available.
The opposition's next visible step is the proposed mock Parliament on October 28. Under the Constitution, the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed only in the manner and on the grounds applicable to a Supreme Court judge, which requires a parliamentary process. Gogoi did not say when any such move might be taken. The Election Commission has not issued a statement on Friday's remarks.
