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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asserted that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will be removed from his post and put in jail for "treason" in future over "vote chori", while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will face legal action and should not think of escaping the law.
The nationwide revision of electoral rolls has sparked political disputes and street protests in the world’s largest democracy over the last month.
The Election Commission says the initiative is necessary to ensure accurate voter lists, but the opposition claims it is being manipulated to favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Both the Election Commission and the BJP deny the accusations.
On Sunday, protesters led by opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi chanted “vote thief, leave your seat” and beat drums while marching from central parts of New Delhi to Ramlila Maidan, a large outdoor venue.
“I have been a voter since I was 18 and now I find myself struck off the list,” protester Nandita, 46, told AFP, giving only one name.
“It’s important to be here because of the way things are going. The cost of living is going up… The only option is to take to the streets peacefully.”
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an online youth-led protest movement, has also thrown its weight behind the campaign against the voter-roll revision.
The overhaul of India’s voter rolls has resulted in more than 133 million names being removed from electoral lists, according to figures reported by Indian media and cited by opposition parties in court filings.
Critics say the removals have disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims.=
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Human Rights Watch has said the removal of voters was “arbitrary and deeply flawed”.
“The authorities should immediately scrap the voter roll revision process that has denied India’s most marginalised people their right to vote and other government services,” it said in a statement this week.
The Cockroach movement has been heavily involved in the pushback to the voter-roll revision and several of its leaders were temporarily detained by police during protests last month.The CJP has gained millions of followers on social media since it was launched in May.
Earlier protests organised by the CJP in July over exam irregularities forced the resignation of the education minister, marking a rare climbdown by Modi’s administration.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asserted that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will be removed from his post and put in jail for "treason" in future over "vote chori", while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will face legal action and should not think of escaping the law.
Addressing the INDIA bloc rally here against alleged electoral irregularities and SIR, Gandhi hailed the turnout and said it has sent a message to Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Shah and CEC Kumar.
"Amit Shah said Narendra Modi is not going anywhere. I would tell you Narendra Modi cannot go anywhere; even if he wants to go, we will not let him
"Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah ji, understand this — after Gyanesh Kumar, we will stand against you and don't forget that for the vote chori you have done, there will be legal action against you and Narendra Modi," he said.
Gandhi said if he is asked about his religion, he would say that 'making the voice of the people of the country heard' is his religion.
Referring to the large turnout, Gandhi said, "This is not the voice of a political party or leaders but the voice of youth, farmers, labourers, and it is declaring that 'we will not let democracy and Constitution be destroyed in India'".
"No matter how much power and money you have, you are not bigger than the Constitution," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said, hitting out at the government.
"Be it Modi, Shah or Gyanesh Kumar, we will not perpetrate violence against them. We will not spread hatred, we will work with love but we will not let them destroy the Constitution," he said.