INDIA bloc to hold MPs' march to ECI, 5 rallies & dist-level protests

New Delhi: Nineteen INDIA bloc parties on Wednesday announced their joint campaign and protest plans against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the conduct of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, alleged electoral irregularities, and accused the Modi government of reducing ECI brass into its 'puppets'.

The joint plans announced by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge after the meeting are: District-level 'save democracy' marches from October 2 to October 8, Opposition MPs' march to ECI headquarters on October 6, five INDIA bloc rallies against 'vote theft' from November 1 in New Delhi, seeking appointment with the President of India and making an appeal to the Supreme Court to expedite SIR cases.

It is learnt that when CPI representative P Sandosh Kumar broached the idea of seeking broader support from non-INDIA Opposition parties for moving another INDIA bloc notice for bringing a motion for the removal of CEC in Parliament, there were no backers, with some like Kapil Sibal and KC Venugopal pointing out that it was a "failed experiment" in the past, thus signalling a rethink on the plan.


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The declared action plan notably didn't include main demands the Congress Working Committee had made a day earlier for its own agitation such as suspension of SIR, resignation of the PM and HM along with CEC, besides Kharge's pitch for doing away with EVMs. Many at the INDIA bloc meeting were learnt to have suggested involving non-INDIA bloc Opposition parties, NGOs and youth outfits even as some, including Uddhav Thackeray, talked about SS-UBT and NCP-SP planning joint programmes and his party's decision to back CJP agitation for CEC's ouster. Congress leaders kept mum on CJP. Some allies stressed on coordinated agitations and cautioned against solo shows.

"In reality, two or three individuals within the Election Commission are merely pawns, while Amit Shah and Modi are manipulating them like puppets... All the parties spoke about fighting this battle unitedly," said Kharge at the post-meeting press conference.

Rahul Gandhi said, "There was a feeling in the room that the Opposition has been quite successful in putting across to the people that the elections are stolen, that Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have destroyed democracy, and there is a new sense of resistance, particularly among young people, that what is going on in India is wrong and needs to be stopped. I want to tell all the Opposition leaders that they are the collective defenders of the Indian Constitution, and it is an honour for us to work together."

Also read: Old voter rolls, ballot papers, more EC transparency: Congress chief Kharge lays out INDIA bloc’s election demands

Mamata Banerjee, who used to act pricey at many INDIA bloc meetings while she was ruling West Bengal, was once again in her post-defeat wounded and eager-to-accommodate self at the meeting and at the presser.