Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said President Droupadi Murmu had asked the Opposition to submit evidence supporting its allegations of “vote-chori” after a delegation of INDIA bloc leaders met her at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday over the controversy surrounding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The delegation submitted a memorandum alleging electoral irregularities and attempts to undermine democracy. The meeting followed several days of Opposition protests against the Election Commission, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged manipulation of the electoral process. The Opposition has also demanded Kumar’s resignation.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Gandhi said the delegation had raised concerns about the alleged roles of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Chief Election Commissioner.
“We submitted a memorandum to the President of India, informing her that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar are conspiring to destroy Indian democracy,” Gandhi said.
He added that Murmu had asked the delegation to substantiate its claims. “We will submit the evidence to her whenever she is available,” he said, describing the meeting as satisfactory.
Gandhi also announced that the Opposition would approach the Supreme Court on Monday with a memorandum addressed to the Chief Justice of India.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the President had listened patiently as the delegation outlined its concerns over the Election Commission’s functioning and the alleged irregularities. He said the Opposition had demanded that electronic voting machines (EVMs) be set aside and elections be conducted using ballot papers.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee said the President had indicated that she would examine the memorandum and had asked the delegation to provide evidence. Banerjee said the Opposition would submit the material and urged the constitutional authorities to take steps to safeguard democracy.
The delegation included Gandhi, Kharge, Banerjee, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule, CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby, RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha, CPI general secretary D. Raja, Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai and VCK president Thirumaavalavan Tholkappiyan.
The allegations of electoral manipulation were made by Opposition leaders and were not established as findings during the meeting.
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