‘Situation Now Worse Than During British Era’: CPI and CPI-M Protest Outside ECI Office Over SIR

Members of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) staged a protest outside the Election Commission of India (ECI) office in New Delhi on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Speaking to IANS, CPI-M leader Brinda Karat alleged that nearly 13 crore citizens had been removed from voter lists and criticised the exercise.

“Right now, almost 13 crore citizens of our country have been removed from the voter list. The situation made right now is worse than during the British era,” Karat said.

CPI-M General Secretary M.A. Baby also called for Kumar’s resignation, saying, “Gyanesh Kumar cannot continue; we will not allow him to continue.”

The protest comes amid a wider Opposition campaign against the SIR exercise and demands for action against the CEC.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday also demanded Kumar’s immediate removal, alleging irregularities in the revision exercise. He further sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation on moral grounds over alleged pressure on the CEC.

Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Kharge said the party would intensify its campaign against the CEC and the government, including through protests on the streets and in Parliament.

On September 25, the Congress had led nationwide protests demanding Kumar’s resignation, alleging that he had compromised the integrity of the electoral process. Civil society groups and other organisations also held parallel demonstrations in Delhi and several states.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear next week a petition challenging the functioning of the CEC and questioning the legality of the nationwide SIR exercise.

The controversy has also intensified following a report by a leading Indian daily that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on at least 14 occasions over decisions and orders related to the SIR during the past 10 months. According to the report, the two commissioners alleged that certain decisions had been taken without their knowledge or recommendation.

The ECI, however, has maintained that its decisions concerning the SIR were made in accordance with the law. It has described differences within the Commission as part of its internal deliberations.