NEW DELHI, October 30 (Aalimi Nation) – The INDIA bloc on Friday postponed its symbolic "public impeachment" of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar by a day, citing rain in the capital, and said the event will now be held on Saturday, October 31, at the same time. The opposition's march to Ramlila Maidan remains scheduled for Sunday, November 1.
Why the event was moved
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the opposition parties took the decision by consensus. "We felt that it would be uncomfortable for seniors to sit in the rain," he said, adding that the programme would be held "tomorrow at the same time". The event is to take place at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi.
Mr. Gandhi said the two programmes were really "one protest" and described both as being about what he called the "demolition of Indian democracy". He named Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commission in that context, and invited people from "different walks of life" to join the march to Ramlila Maidan.
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien, who was with Mr. Gandhi at the press conference, said, "We are all in this together and we will win this together." He said civil society, students and workers were invited.
Allegations and the government's side
Mr. Gandhi alleged that the Home Minister was "doing his best to stop people from coming to Delhi", and claimed that party members and ordinary citizens from several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Telangana, were being stopped. No official response to that claim was available at the time of writing.
Mr. Gandhi also spoke of "huge anger and emotional pain" over the deletion of names from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision, and alleged that voters were being disenfranchised for the benefit of the ruling establishment and some industrialists. These are political allegations and have not been established.
Earlier in the day, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member John Brittas alleged a "martial law-like" clampdown ahead of the event. On the other side, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Rameshwar Sharma said the opposition was trying to mislead people "through drama", while a BJP Member of Parliament argued that the opposition should raise its concerns inside Parliament rather than stage such programmes.
What a "public impeachment" is
The event is symbolic and has no legal force. Under the Constitution, the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Supreme Court judge, which requires a motion passed by both Houses of Parliament with a special majority. The opposition has said it is using the public format to press what it calls the "vote chori" issue.
The symbolic proceedings at Mr. Kharge's residence are now due on Saturday afternoon, with the Ramlila Maidan march planned for Sunday. Whether the Election Commission or the government will respond formally to the opposition's allegations remains to be seen.
