After CWC meet, Congress says PM has 'no moral right' to remain in office, announces nationwide protests against CEC and SIR

The Congress on Tuesday demanded the immediate suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the restoration of 13 crore voters it alleged were illegally removed by the Election Commission, and the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resign on moral grounds.

The party announced a nationwide agitation after a 2.5-hour Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on the row.

Also read: CEC 'puppet' of Modi govt, has no right to remain in office: Kharge at CWC meet, says PM should resign on moral grounds


Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said Kumar "has no right to continue for a single day". He alleged that the deletion of voters could not have happened without the concurrence of the Prime Minister.

"In the SIR process and election procedure, it is the duty of the Prime Minister to intervene," Venugopal said. "There is a moral responsibility on the Prime Minister of India on this issue. He is not having any moral responsibility or moral right to continue in his office as PM. This is the CWC's opinion."

He said the meeting was unlike an ordinary CWC. "In everybody's speeches, everybody's deliberations, that seriousness came out that the country is in a threat situation under this election system. Democracy is under threat in this election system. Therefore, this is the time to fight it out. We will not take rest until this election machinery system is made pakka," he said.

Venugopal said the Working Committee congratulated Rahul Gandhi for taking up "the biggest issue concerning Indian democracy" through the party's "vote chori" campaign. "Over the last 18 to 19 months, evidence has continuously been presented to the nation that the Chief Election Commissioner is compromised and that the country's election system is rigged. Whether it is the EVMs or the voter list, both are being questioned," he said. He added that the party would "resist aggressively through peaceful demonstrations across the country".

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Rahul Gandhi told the CWC that elections in India are "illegal".

Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat said the meeting discussed the "alliance between PM Modi and Gyanesh, the theft of votes, and the betrayal of the public". He said the issue was not just about the resignation of one person but about rectifying the actions of a constitutional body that had "become deeply corrupted".

"Gyanesh Kumar is a puppet, but who is behind it? Without the patronage of PM Modi, such things would not happen," Bhagat said. He said the party had already taken steps in this direction and would carry the struggle forward through constitutional processes.

Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh said the entire party was "absolutely in the mood for a decisive battle" and stood firmly with Rahul Gandhi. He said a decision on the future roadmap would follow the meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc. Asked whether the bloc would reach out to those within the government who are expressing dissatisfaction, Singh said: "Right now, their actions are merely about exerting pressure; once they start acting with genuine intent, we will invite them."

CWC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who chaired the meeting, said Kumar had "no right to remain in office" and must be removed immediately. He alleged that the Modi government had "systematically hollowed out the strong democratic foundation that our forefathers built". He also alleged that names were being removed from voter lists as part of a conspiracy and that rules on Form 6, used for enrolling new voters, had been altered illegally.

Kharge demanded that political parties be given electoral rolls and relevant data in a simple format and in a timely manner. He also called for an independent, time-bound inquiry wherever serious discrepancies emerge, complete public disclosure of every major change made to the rolls, and an opportunity for voters whose names were removed to be informed and to appeal.

Also read: CWC meets on SIR row, to prepare roadmap for ramping up pressure on CEC, govt

The meeting was attended by former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal, among others. It was called to chalk out a roadmap for stepping up pressure on Kumar and the government in the wake of reported differences within the Election Commission and alleged irregularities in the SIR.

Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had written to the Cabinet Secretary. The poll panel said in a statement that the letters pertained to an officer on deputation, and not to policy or IT division matters. It also said differing views are a normal part of deliberations in any institution, and that all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.

A day before the meeting, Kharge had said the Election Commissioners had "exposed" the working of the poll body by raising concerns over the SIR, changes in Form 6, additions and deletions in voter lists, and centralised control over the electoral roll database. The Congress had also said on Monday that the first step towards reclaiming the country's democracy was the resignation of the CEC, whom it described as a front for the "diabolical PM-HM duo".

The INDIA bloc will meet on Wednesday to chalk out a joint strategy and is likely to file another notice for Kumar's removal in Parliament.