Alappuzha, October 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal on Saturday accused the BJP-led Central government of shielding Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar instead of addressing concerns over the electoral process, warning that what he described as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s desperation to protect Kumar would hasten their political downfall.
Venugopal said the Congress and the INDIA bloc would continue their campaign to safeguard voting rights and press for a free, fair and transparent electoral system.
Accusing the Prime Minister of being rattled by Opposition protests, he alleged that the government was imposing restrictions, including the closure of Metro stations, to prevent demonstrators from reaching their destinations.
He said the INDIA bloc had met President Droupadi Murmu to convey its concerns and that Opposition parties had also decided to meet the Chief Justice of India. Venugopal asserted that the struggle would continue until flaws in the country’s electoral system were addressed.
The Congress leader also questioned the Centre’s continued failure to approve an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for Kerala, accusing the BJP of denying the state a premier medical institution despite its long-standing demand.
Venugopal argued that the reasons cited by the Centre for withholding approval did not stand up to comparison with the circumstances under which AIIMS institutions had been sanctioned in other parts of the country. He said the BJP’s state unit should be disbanded if it believed Kerala did not deserve the institution.
Recalling a discussion in Parliament in 2015, Venugopal said the then Union Health Minister had assured him that AIIMS would be sanctioned for Kerala the following year. However, he said, the assurance had remained unfulfilled for years.
Venugopal expressed hope that the Centre would approve the institution within the next two years. He added that if the BJP-led government failed to do so, an INDIA bloc government at the Centre would ensure Kerala received AIIMS.
Responding to a question about a court order directing the registration of an FIR against Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan, Venugopal said the law and court orders applied equally to everyone.
He also said the Congress was approaching the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala with due vigilance.
Referring to the controversy over the BJP’s lotus symbol appearing on Election Commission letterhead, Venugopal raised concerns over the neutrality of the electoral machinery.
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