Former Gujarat chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela has made a controversial comment about Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, who has been facing huge protests organised by Opposition party leaders over alleged irregularities in carrying out the voter roll cleanup exercise Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The BJP hit back, saying the Opposition bloc INDIA is trying again to create anarchy and relaunch Rahul Gandhi. “Such election commissioners should be publicly hanged for murdering democracy. They should be eliminated now. That’s what they deserve. His comments came amid the protests by Opposition party MPs including the Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra outside the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) office in central Delhi.
Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Opposition’s protest in Delhi was meant for “venting their frustration” over election losses by making baseless allegations against constitutional bodies. Vaghela, who has also served as a Union minister, told NDTV that extreme measures are needed against authorities who compromise electoral integrity. No mercy should be shown to them,” Vaghela said. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra accused Rahul Gandhi of trying to spread “confusion” and “boost his politics” by misquoting the Supreme Court, which is looking into the issue of whether Gyanesh Kumar single-handedly exercised powers constitutionally designated for the entire multi-member poll body which also includes the two election commissioners (ECs).
They have been demanding the resignation of the CEC, citing the SIR controversy and a report by the Indian Express said the two election commissioners “objected on record” several decisions taken by the poll body allegedly without their knowledge.
