Opposition defers CEC mock impeachment due to rain

New Delhi: The Opposition INDIA bloc on Friday postponed its scheduled mock impeachment event against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to Saturday because of rain in the capital.

Opposition leaders resolved to make Sunday's rally at Ramlila Ground against the CEC and the special intensive revision (SIR) an impressive show of strength even as rain kept the organisers' fingers crossed. Rahul Gandhi alleged that the home minister was trying to prevent people from reaching Delhi for the rally, which will begin with a march from Minto Road to Ramlila Maidan.

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"The home minister is trying his best to stop people from coming into Delhi, trying to ensure that our party members, common people who want to come from UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Telangana, Punjab are stopped," Gandhi told journalists. "Now you watch what happens at Ramlila Maidan. You watch how many people come, and you watch how many people they manage to stop, and you will understand what is going on in this country. Huge anger, huge emotional pain, because millions of people are being disenfranchised."

The decision to postpone Friday's event by a day was taken at a meeting of Opposition leaders. While some favoured putting it off until after Deepawali, the leaders eventually decided to go ahead on Saturday.