New Delhi: A delegation of INDIA bloc leaders met President Droupadi Murmu Friday evening and handed over a memorandum to her on alleged “vote chori” with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi saying he was shocked that the president did not deny the ‘election theft’ charge and “accepted” what the Opposition leaders stated.
President Murmu sought proof of ‘vote chori’ from the leaders and the INDIA bloc will hand over the evidence it has to her when she is ready to accept it, Gandhi told reporters after the delegation comprising him, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, NCP(SP)’s Supriya Sule, SP’s Rajeev Rai, RJD’s Manoj Jha, VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan, CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby and CPI’s D Raja met her.
Gandhi also said the Opposition leaders would meet Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday and hand over a memorandum to him as well.
Carrying a big “Save Democracy” banner, INDIA bloc MPs marched from Parliament House to Vijay Chowk where they were stopped by the police which had put up barricades.
After that the delegation, whose names had been sent to Rashtrapati Bhawan, headed to meet President Murmu to hand over a memorandum on the “vote chori” issue.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Kharge said the INDIA bloc leaders sought return to ballot paper instead of EVMs for future polls.
“The President asked for evidence of ‘vote chori’ which we will provide,” he said.
Gandhi said the INDIA bloc’s memorandum to the president clearly stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar have “conspired to destroy Indian democracy”.
“President in no way denied what we said, she did not question what we said… she accepted our statement and sought proof of ‘election chori’,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
Gandhi said he told the president that proof of ‘election chori’ is known to country as state after state has been “stolen”.
“We will happily take proof of ‘election chori’ to President when she is ready to accept it,” Gandhi said.
“I actually expected the President of India to deny that ‘vote chori’ is taking place; I expected the President of India to say ‘no actually, India has a free and fair election system’. I was shocked and I was stunned that the President of India accepted what we said,” he said.
In her remarks to the press, Banerjee said INDIA bloc is together and is strong and she thought the meeting was positive.
Earlier, the INDIA bloc MPs met at the Central Hall of the Samvidhan Sadan and deliberated upon their strategy to take forward their plan for agitation against alleged “vote chori” and press for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s ouster.
Kharge, Gandhi, Congress chief ministers DK Shivakumar (Karnataka) and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh), as well as other INDIA bloc leaders — Banerjee, Sule, Basheer, Baby, Raja, Samajwadi Party’s Rajeev Rai and Mohibullah Nadvi, Independent MPs Kapil Sibal and Pappu Yadav, among others, attended the meeting.
Addressing the Opposition MPs, Gandhi said there is a “much deeper problem” than Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and it requires termination of the current government. He asserted that if the Opposition continues to push the way it has in the last few days, the government would fall.
Opposition protests have shaken foundations of this government which is now scared, Gandhi told INDIA bloc MPs at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan.
“There is a much deeper problem than Gyanesh Kumar and it requires termination of this current government,” the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said.
This is something that is worth fighting for and dying for, he said.
The CEC is only a service provider and he has gall to say he will not meet elected representatives of people, Gandhi said, lashing out at Kumar.
“If we continue to push the way we have in last three-four days, I guarantee this government will fall,” the former Congress chief said.
The Opposition’s aggressive push comes days after a report by The Indian Express said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected on record at least 14 times over the last 10 months, mostly to decisions and orders mostly related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Under fire over objections raised by two of its commissioners, the Election Commission had asserted that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberations in any institution and that all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.
Last week, the INDIA bloc finalised a joint action plan on the SIR row, including holding rallies and “save democracy” marches.
The INDIA bloc leaders on Thursday staged a sit-in at Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial, to highlight what they alleged was “hijacking” of the country by Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Shah and the CEC through a criminal conspiracy of “vote chori.”
Thursday was the third consecutive day of protests against the CEC and alleged vote theft by the Opposition leaders, who pledged to continue their agitation until the CEC resigns.
