Opposition may put on hold motion to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar over Election Commission row

The Opposition might out on hold its plan to move a motion for removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as INDIA bloc leaders prefer political programmes and public outreach over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, leaders aware of the matter said on Wednesday.

The Congress had announced last week that the Opposition will move a fresh impeachment motion against Kumar in the wake of the Indian Express’ report on objections raised by the two Election Commissioners on SIR-related decisions. A similar notice, signed by 73 MPs, is pending before the Rajya Sabha after the first Opposition-sponsored notice in March this year was rejected by the presiding officers of both Houses.

Also Read I ‘Why stop at Padma Bhushan, give Gyanesh Kumar Bharat Ratna’: Omar Abdullah's dig at CEC

Opposition weakens stance on Gyanesh Kumar

On Wednesday, the issue of CEC removal didn’t figure in the official discussions of the INDIA bloc meeting. On the sidelines, many leaders, especially those from Rajya Sabha, were sounded out on the issue in the wake of the new political priorities of the alliance. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC), Left parties and an important section of the Congress said that the motion can be delayed.

“Our position is clear: the action should be on the ground. Anything in Parliament should be put on hold. To put it politely, when the presiding officer is the umpire, enough said,” TMC floor leader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien told HT.

A senior Congress leader close to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi said that “there is a rethink” on the motion for CEC removal. The change of plan comes even as Congress lawmaker Abhishek Singhvi has already drafted the notice against Kumar.

In the meeting, Gandhi emphasised a broad-based partnership and said, “We can’t get there alone. You can’t get there alone. But together we will,” in an apparent reference to upcoming political battles and elections. “There is no point saying who suffered more,” Gandhi also suggested, adding that fighting Prime Minister Modi and Gyanesh Kumar “has to be done by everybody.”

Gandhi also said he has studied how election manipulation is happening and has started getting “serious information” against the government from officials in central agencies such as CBI and ED, which didn’t happen earlier.

Also Read I ECI removes extra SIR declaration from Form 6 in states where revision is complete

On ground-action, cooperation

Several suggestions to take on the CEC over the SIR came from across parties. Mamata Banerjee and CPI(M-L) chief Dipankar Bhattacharya pitched for quick action on the ground to reach out to the people. Banerjee suggested a march to the Election Commission soon after the meeting. She demanded EC’s Director General (IT) Seema Khanna should be arrested. Banerjee described how violence in West Bengal during the elections has spread to education institutes.

Congress Parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi expressed support for both Banerjee and Bhattacharya’s plans.

Tejaswi Yadav of RJD claimed when Rahul Gandhi and he were campaigning, they got a very good response. But later, votes were “looted “in Bihar. And later, same thing happened in Bengal. Yadav suggested setting up of a sub-committee and appointing spokespersons.

Also Read I ECI extends SIR schedule in Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya; new dates announced

Uddhav Thackeray criticised the judiciary and said the EC’s only job is to break parties. CPIM chief MA Baby called it “a fight against RSS” and sought the involvement of civil society.