SIR row deepens: May move to impeach CEC, says oppn

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing EC-opposition clash, INDIA bloc on Monday floated the possibility of moving for impeachment of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, whom it accused of acting like a "BJP spokesman" and intimidating opposition parties . It said Election Commission is no longer capable of ensuring a level playing field and, instead, is led by officers who thwart any attempt at probing voter fraud.

While the proposal to move for Kumar's removal was discussed briefly in a coordination meeting of opposition parties and is not final, the INDIA bloc chose to amplify it by confirming that the impeachment notice was brainstormed by the allies and drew wide consensus. "We have all the parliamentary, legal options before us, and we will use them. There has been an erosion of faith in the EC," RJD MP Manoj Jha said.

Lok Sabha dy LOP Gaurav Gogoi said, "The impeachment was discussed with large backing from leaders. We'll take an appropriate step at an appropriate time."

The open revolt against the top poll watchdog erupted Monday morning when the opposition netas gathered to complain about Kumar's Sunday's press conference in which, they complained, he did not answer the questions raised about the SIR and instead chose to "intimidate" the opposition. Some MPs felt the fight had to be taken forward in view of the CEC's "bias for the ruling party". When it was suggested that impeachment was the only option for his removal, there was support for the proposal.

ECI failed in discharging its duty, says INDIA bloc

Sources said the impeachment talk at present is just a "threat" but may be considered again in future. That impeachment is even being discussed marks a major escalation in the already vitiating relationship between the CEC and the opposition. The meeting was attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, K C Venugopal, Gaurav Gogoi, Jairam Ramesh, Manickam Tagore (Congress), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena), Ramgopal Yadav (SP), John Brittas (CPM), N K Premachandran (RSP) and Kanimozhi (DMK) among other allies.

Later, at a joint presser, INDIA bloc accused ECI of failing to discharge its constitutional duty and that "it is not being led by officers who can ensure a level playing field" but "those who lead EC divert and thwart any attempt at a meaningful inquiry into voter fraud and opt to intimidate those who challenge the governing party." Addressed by Gogoi, Jha, Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Naseer Hussain (Cong), Mahua Moitra (TMC), Arvind Sawant (Shiv ena), Sanjay Singh (AAP) among others, the opposition said the CEC failed to clarify on the Supreme Court's order of August 14 which "rejected all the EC's arguments seeking to prevent the release of basic data of the 65 lakh voters deleted in Bihar" and directed the EC to publish their names and the reasons for their deletion. It said the CEC had also not clarified on why it embarked on a hasty SIR in Bihar and gave no clarification on Rahul Gandhi's allegations about voter fraud in Mahadevapura in Bengaluru.

Though AAP has disengaged itself from INDIA bloc, its representative Sanjay Singh addressed the presser.

Slamming the SIR, Mahua Moitra said, "Is the list on which the 2024 Lok Sabha election was done fraudulent? If that is true, the current and previous ECs should be prosecuted, and this LS should be dissolved immediately." RJD's Jha and Sena's Sawant said, "Yesterday, we were looking for our CEC, but we found a new BJP spokesperson."