Congress vows to continue agitation until CEC removed
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal vowed to continue nationwide protests demanding the Chief Election Commissioner's removal and reforms ensuring electoral transparency and impartiality.
NEW DELHI Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Sunday said the party would continue its nationwide agitation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar until he was removed from office and the country's electoral system became impartial, transparent and fair. Speaking to reporters, Venugopal said protests were underway across states and districts, with only a brief pause expected during the Diwali festival. He described the November 1 rally organised by the Congress in New Delhi as one of the strongest protests in the country, alleging that the party was fighting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "We will withdraw from this agitation only after Gyanesh Kumar is removed from the post and steps are taken to make India's electoral system and processes flawless, impartial and fair. This is not a struggle that we will abandon midway," Venugopal said. He alleged that deleting names from electoral rolls could deprive poor people of their voting rights and access to government welfare benefits, which he claimed were increasingly being linked to voter identity cards. He announced that the Congress would launch its nationwide 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' campaign at the panchayat level over the next one-and-a-half months. The party plans to appoint a 'Vote Rakshak' at every polling booth to examine electoral rolls, identify deleted names and help affected voters restore their registration. Venugopal said Congress units were organising programmes across states and districts, while discussions were underway for joint initiatives with other political parties. He added that the Opposition would raise the issue during the upcoming Parliament session, along with other public concerns. On the Keralam government, he defended its administration and said allegations involving Excise Minister M Liju and bar owners would be examined. He also said the government had agreed to investigate corruption allegations raised by former Excise Commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao.
