The INDIA bloc held the public impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi on Saturday, with nearly 21 opposition parties expected to participate in the exercise. The event took place at the residence of the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, at 3.30 pm.
The programme, originally scheduled for Friday, was postponed to Saturday after heavy rain lashed several parts of Delhi. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, confirmed the change and said the event would now be held on Saturday.
Who took part
The programme was expected to witness the participation of nearly 21 parties, including major INDIA bloc constituents such as the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. Several Left parties also took part in the mock impeachment. Apart from political parties, social groups, student organisations and people affected by the Special Intensive Revision exercise also attended.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the event. She served as Speaker during the second United Progressive Alliance government, from 2009 to 2014.
How the mock impeachment was conducted
The event followed a mock parliamentary format, with Meira Kumar presiding over the proceedings and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge moving the motion. Leaders from different parties spoke on the motion within their allotted time, with nearly 30 speakers expected to address the gathering. Rahul Gandhi delivered the concluding remarks at the event.
Several opposition leaders met at Kharge's residence last Thursday to finalise the programme. The meeting was attended by Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal and Meira Kumar, CPI(M)'s John Brittas, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien, Samajwadi Party's Harendra Malik, and JMM's Mahua Maji, among others. The programme was initially planned at the Ashoka Hotel and was later shifted to Ramlila Maidan, but owing to permission-related hurdles, the INDIA bloc had to change its plans and settle on Kharge's residence as the venue.
Shah's dare and the rally link
The event is part of a broader campaign by the Congress and other opposition parties seeking Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over the SIR exercise and alleged electoral irregularities. The INDIA bloc also planned the programme as a curtain-raiser for its November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan, which will focus on its vote chori allegations. A day before the mock impeachment, Union Home Minister Amit Shah challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to debate the opposition's allegations of vote chori in Parliament, saying the BJP was ready to convene a special session to discuss the issue. Addressing the BJP's state working committee meeting in Lucknow, Shah took a swipe at the two leaders, comparing their allegations to a cricket team blaming the umpire after losing a match. He said that instead of practising harder after losing a match, they start blaming the umpire, challenged them to come forward for a special session, and questioned whether Rahul Gandhi would accept the challenge, accusing the Congress leader of preferring to create drama on the streets rather than taking up the issue in Parliament.
