Congress demands Modi, Amit Shah resignations over controversial SIR
Party calls for CEC’s resignation and restoration of over 13 lakh voter names
New Delhi: The Congress has demanded the resignation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah following revelations in a recent Indian Express investigation that two of the three Election Commissioners had raised objections to aspects of the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls under Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The demand was made at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making body, on Tuesday. A resolution adopted at the meeting called for the immediate resignation of the CEC, suspension of the SIR in several states, restoration of over 13 lakh names struck off voter lists, and the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.
“This brazen vote chori has been organised on behalf of the prime minister and the home minister. Nothing short of their resignation will ensure the safety of our constitution and hard earned democracy,” the resolution said.
Following the meeting, Congress General Secretary (organization) K.C. Venugopal said that the matter would also be taken up at the INDIA alliance meeting on Wednesday, when opposition parties expected to discuss a country-wide movement against vote theft.
“Tomorrow there is an INDIA alliance meeting, Congress certainly wants a massive agitation to save democracy in this country with the help of all political parties. There we will formalise the clear action plan for future agitation,” he said.
The CWC resolution said concerns over the integrity of India’s electoral process had been heightened by a concentration of decision-making in the hands of the CEC, adding that decisions were being taken without consultation with the other Election Commissioners.
The Indian Express reported last week that the two Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised as many as 14 objections to the SIR process including calling the changes to the Form 6 as “illegal”.
“The unprecedented concentration of control over electoral rolls in the hands of a few BJP-backed officials during the nationwide SIR serves as the last nail in the coffin of the ECI’s credibility,” the CWC resolution said.
In his opening remarks at the CWC meeing, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the party’s fight was now “not against any party, institution, or individuals, but to save the rights of India’s voters, the Constitution, and India’s democratic system.”
“We do not see this issue merely as a battle to win or lose an election. Elections come and go, governments come and go, but democracy and the Constitution are permanent. This is the foundation of Indian Democracy,” he said.
