Hyderabad: Escalating the Congress party’s attack on the Election Commission over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensure the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and scrap the exercise, warning that failure to do so would invite a larger political battle against the BJP-led govt.Speaking to reporters outside the Barakhamba Road police station in New Delhi, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was taken after being detained during a protest at Jantar Mantar, Revanth said the agitation against the CEC and the Centre would continue until Gyanesh Kumar stepped down or the SIR exercise was withdrawn.“The detention of Rahul Gandhi and other AICC leaders has only exposed the intolerance of PM Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah. Instead of arresting those who have committed a mistake, the police, on the directions of Shah, took away Rahul Gandhi and other AICC leaders in their van on the lines of terrorists being forcibly arrested,” alleged Revanth.Revanth, accompanied by revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, visited the police station to express solidarity with Gandhi and other opposition leaders.The chief minister said the Congress and the INDIA bloc would intensify their campaign under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, taking the fight “from sadak to Sansad”.“PM Modi and the BJP earlier misused ED, CBI and IT to win elections. Now, they are misusing the ECI to remove ‘anti-Modi’ and ‘anti-BJP’ voter names from the electoral rolls through SIR. The Constitution has guaranteed the voting right to its citizens, and no one has the right to snatch it. People are watching PM Modi and BJP’s game plan and will oust them from power because this is not the issue of the Congress but of the people of the country,” Revanth claimed.He alleged that the electoral roll revision exercise was aimed at removing voters opposed to the BJP and demanded its immediate suspension.“The exercise to remove anti-Modi and anti-BJP votes must stop immediately. The EC is stripping people of their right to vote. A conspiracy is underway targeting the votes of SCs, STs, Adivasis, and minorities. The ECI was misused to influence electoral outcomes in states such as Bihar, West Bengal and Maharashtra,” he alleged.Referring to allegations raised by Rahul Gandhi, Revanth accused the BJP of attempting to use the ECI to influence electoral outcomes and described Gyanesh Kumar as the “instrument” being used for that purpose.Drawing a parallel with the protests against the Simon Commission during the freedom movement, the chief minister warned that protecting the CEC would carry political consequences for the Modi govt.“If the slogan during the freedom movement was ‘Simon go back’, the slogan now is ‘SIR go back’, CEC resign or PM step down. The British tried to protect the Simon Commission and had to forego their rule in India. Likewise, if PM Modi and Shah try to protect Gyanesh Kumar, they will have to step down,” he claimed.Revanth said the demand for the CEC’s resignation was not merely a Congress issue but one concerning the voting rights of citizens. Reiterating the party’s stand, he urged Modi and Shah to ensure Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and said the Congress and INDIA bloc would continue their campaign to “save the Constitution” and protect voters’ rights.
Source link
