- 11 minutes ago
The INDIA bloc has unveiled an escalating campaign demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Following a meeting of the Congress Working Committee and an all-party opposition conclave in New Delhi, the coalition announced a phased programme of action protesting against the Election Commission. Speaking on the broadcast, Congress leader Pawan Khera asserted that targeting only the Chief Election Commissioner is insufficient, alleging that the poll body is directed by top political leadership. He affirmed that the opposition would contest upcoming state elections rather than boycotting them. TMC Lok Sabha MP Sougata Roy defended seeking the resignations of the Prime Minister and Home Minister, pointing to legislative amendments altering the appointment process of election commissioners, and noted plans to pursue constitutional impeachment procedures.
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00:00You're watching To The Point. I'm Preeti Chaudhary. We join you live from Hochi, from our South India, India Today
00:08conclave edition.
00:10However, lots of action that has taken place in the national capital after the CWC of the Congress Party, the
00:18India Alliance members met today with a clear agenda.
00:22And at the back of it, now it's a six-month plan where India Alliance partners will now be coming
00:30out jointly in protest, demanding the resignation not just of the Chief Election Commissioner, but also of the Prime Minister
00:38and the Home Minister.
00:40Yes, the news is.
00:43He must resign immediately. He must resign immediately.
00:49Immediately, let us save the democracy and let the security of the people, the voting rights, it is our constitutional
01:01rights.
01:02Save democracy is now the opposition's new battle cry. And today, the India bloc turned that anger into a joint
01:10battle plan.
01:12A three-and-a-half-hour meeting in Delhi with most major opposition parties at the table.
01:18From the meeting, the attack on the Election Commission was relentless.
01:22And opposition has said they won't take it lying down.
01:37We are going to ensure that the people who have destroyed Indian democracy,
01:45which is a personal commitment of all India leaders,
01:49we are going to ensure that the people who have destroyed Indian democracy,
01:56are punished.
01:57We all have, with Rahul Ghandri ji,
01:59we all have, with Rahul Ghandri ji,
02:00we have also declared the vote on the battle.
02:02In that moment, we also said that something is wrong.
02:04In the moment, it will come in front.
02:07Now, slowly, there is a report that the two election commissioners have
02:11under the 30th party in Form 6.
02:15You can say that the 14th party has under the 14th party in 10 months.
02:19When is not done, there is no proof of the vote,
02:20but there is no proof of the vote on any dues,
02:21but there is no proof of the vote.
02:23people have kept at ،
02:27because people have failed their support by living in BCB.
02:32During the 19th party,
02:34in Thailand, in Haryana, in Bihar,
02:36pulled in Bengal.
02:39You know we have been involved here in Switzerland.
02:42You are aware that we have brought them here.
02:43The election commission had gone after.
02:45I mean when it was released,
02:46India has opened the door to the PNC.
02:51What did the EBMC hijackage?
02:53What did the counting and digging?
02:55What did he get?
02:57He must resign immediately!
03:01India bloc has prepared an action plan.
03:05From October 2nd to 8th,
03:08Safe Democracy marches and demonstrations at district level.
03:12Opposition MPs will march to the Election Commission on October 6th.
03:17Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi will seek a meeting with the President in the second week of October.
03:22And five major rallies will be held in October and November over the vote jori issue.
03:28The Opposition Alliance will hold a mega-rally in Delhi on November 1st.
03:33India Bloc leaders will appeal for an early resolution of all SIR-related cases in the Supreme Court.
03:40The BJP mocked the Opposition Alliance and claimed Congress' allies questioned Rahul Gandhi's leadership.
04:11With the India Bloc now taking that battle to the streets,
04:15the confrontation with the Election Commission has entered a far more explosive phase.
04:21With Masmi Singh, Bureau Report, India Today.
04:32Joining me right now is Senior Congress Leader, Rajya Sabha MP, Mr. Pawan Khera.
04:37Mr. Khera, thank you for taking the time out and joining us.
04:41One pertinent question, Mr. Khera, that beckons to be asked.
04:44You, the CWC, the declaration of the CWC and then the all-party meeting today
04:51and the declaration of the all-party meeting in terms of the India Alliance meet
04:55have now escalated and asked not just for the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner
05:02but also the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.
05:05The news report you're basing it on has raised objections and, you know, questions of the Election Commission.
05:13Are you making the whole process a little frivolous by going beyond asking for the resignation of just the CEC
05:21and then attacking the Prime Minister and the Home Minister as well?
05:24You know, people would start questioning our intentions
05:29if, Preeti, we were to only limit ourselves to Gyanesh Kumar Gupta.
05:36Because Gyanesh Kumar Gupta is nothing but a pawn.
05:41People who are actually making him do these things are the ones who need to be targeted.
05:45And it's a political fight. It's a fight with the political leadership.
05:48He's just a bureaucrat being misused by the political leadership.
05:54So, therefore, the target has to be not just him but people who control him and his actions.
06:04But, Mr. Khera, it's a constitutional body and Mr. Gyanesh Kumar reports to the President and not quite to the
06:10Prime Minister.
06:12Look at the way he's appointed, first of all.
06:14The way the process was tinkered with, the way it was diluted,
06:19the way he was given immunity by an Act of Parliament.
06:23All this points to only one.
06:26The needle of suspicion is not even a suspicion.
06:28It's clear that it's Modi and Shah who want to control this constitutional body of the Election Commission.
06:40Mr. Khera, the India Alliance partners today has come up with a long six-month agenda.
06:47It starts immediately.
06:48But in that six-month agenda are also elections of important states,
06:53states that you have high-stake battle in, for example, Punjab and then it's Uttar Pradesh.
06:59So, is the Congress and the India Alliance on board with not participating in the election that you now have
07:06confirmed
07:07or on your own account have charged or rigged under the current CEC?
07:12No, why should we not participate in the election?
07:15Of course, we'll participate in the election.
07:17This is not a solution.
07:19The solution is to keep pushing them, to keep exposing them
07:22and to keep ensuring, finally, that they give in and they resign.
07:28They'll have to resign.
07:29Ganesh has to go.
07:31The other two, I don't know for what reason, but they've spoken out.
07:35Within the organization, they have spoken out.
07:38But believe me, down below it, within the Election Commission, there is a lot of frustration.
07:42People don't want to do things which are wrong.
07:45People don't want to steal somebody's vote.
07:47At the end of the day, we are all, you know, nobody wants to break rules.
07:51But they are being made to break rules.
07:53So, we will participate in the elections, but we'll keep pushing for our demands.
08:00But how does that make sense, Mr. Khera?
08:03Because at one end, you are charging the Election Commission of conducting fixed and rigged elections,
08:09yet you want to continue participating in that.
08:11Something which, like a pressure group like the CJP has also urged political parties to boycott elections.
08:18Because, Viti, if we were to boycott elections, say, for example, hypothetically, the India Alliance decides to boycott elections, who
08:26does it suit?
08:27It suits Narendra Modi perfectly well.
08:30And he'll create an opposition of his choice.
08:32It could be anyone.
08:34And then, it'll be a sham of an election, and it'll become a, well, a Russia kind of a democracy.
08:40Do we want that?
08:40No, we'll fight for our rights.
08:42We'll fight.
08:43And we'll fight along with the people of India.
08:45People of India now are convinced that all is not right with the Election Commission of India.
08:50And therefore, the alertness of the citizen will also help in making elections and the electoral process more transparent.
08:57That's what our target is right now.
09:03Mr. Khaira, you know, you had participation, and the likes of Mamata Banerjee did, in fact, show up, but certain
09:09leaders did not.
09:10Like Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, though there was political representation from his party by Mr. Harinder and one more leader.
09:20But is the India Alliance in totality on board with what was declared at the back of the meeting?
09:27Well, absolutely.
09:28Whether he could come or not, I mean, he gave clear reasons to Mr. Casey Venugopal, and yesterday at the
09:33press conference, Mr. Venugopal shared that reason with him, with all of you.
09:37So, whether people are visible today in the meeting or not, there are people who are not part of the
09:43India Alliance, and yet they are supporting us.
09:45Wait and watch.
09:46A lot of people are extending their support, because at the end of the day, we are all stakeholders in
09:51a democracy.
09:51If there is no democracy tomorrow, where are we?
10:24What are the charges that you have made where the Home Minister and the Prime Minister's chair is concerned?
10:29Well, we've heard Chirag Paswan saying things, we've heard other voices coming out, and the voices will only grow now.
10:37Because every now, every third day, second day, there's some change or the other in the Form 6.
10:42Is it a game?
10:44Just because you get exposed, you start changing Form 6.
10:47The entire premises of changing Form 6 rests on the governing law.
10:53The governing law of 1960 has to be taken to the Parliament in order to amend Form 6.
10:59They have done things which are absolutely unconstitutional.
11:03And today it's us, tomorrow it could be Chirag Paswan, it could be Athavale, it could be anyone.
11:13You know, one final question, Mr. Khaira, I know you need to also leave.
11:17I want to ask you, is the likes of Mr. Rudhav Thakre, who might have joined virtually, where the India
11:23Alliance meet is concerned,
11:24have decided to pledge support to the pressure group of the CJP in Mumbai on the 2nd of October.
11:31Now, where does your party stand on the protest in Mumbai on the 2nd of October?
11:38It's a very, very strange question, I'll tell you why.
11:40I'll tell you why, because we are not competing for the same space.
11:46We are all out there fighting in our own language, in our own manner, we are fighting.
11:52And every pressure group is more than welcome to join the fight, to take the fight forward, why not?
11:59So, I don't see this as an either-or kind of a situation, it's not an either-or.
12:03Everybody is basically strengthening the cause.
12:11All right, and the sheer fact that, you know, Mr. Rudhav Thakre and the Shiv Sena UBT faction have decided
12:17to pledge support to the CJP is completely fine in the current India Alliance politics.
12:22Final question, sir.
12:24So, what, I mean, if they, as I said, it's not an either-or.
12:29Everybody is welcome, everybody needs to be strengthened, we need to strengthen all of us fighting for the same cause,
12:35which is to protect the democracy and uphold the constitution of India.
12:44What if you're not allowed to take out the march that you have so decided to, sir?
12:50Well, we were not allowed to take out the dandy, Yatra.
12:56All right, then.
12:58We're going to leave it at that.
13:00But…
13:01Thank you, Mr. Khera, for taking the time out.
13:02We're going to keep a keen eye on all developments.
13:05The India Alliance has decided to move ahead with a six-month agenda starting immediately from the 2nd of October.
13:12Thank you, Mr. Khera, for joining us.
13:13Appreciate it.
13:20All right, joining me now is senior TMC leader and Lok Sabha MP from the TMC, Mr. Shogata Roy.
13:26Mr. Roy, thank you for taking the time out and joining us.
13:29Strong statement issued by the India Alliance members starting from the 2nd of October itself.
13:35But, you know, Mr. Roy, do you think to limit it to just the demand for resignation of the CEC
13:43would have been prudent?
13:45Asking for the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister is a little untenable?
13:56No, nothing is untenable.
13:58You see, this meeting was called in a short time.
14:04It was called after Bebi, Secretary of the CPM, contracted Mumta Banerj, who then contracted Rahulji.
14:17And then Congress took the initiative in calling a bigger meeting.
14:23So, in this short time, no final decisions could be taken.
14:28In today's meeting, the demand for removal of Ganesh Kumar was raised.
14:35Also, the demand for removal of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah has been raised.
14:42I think it's entirely tenable.
14:45Ultimately, whatever is assigned to the CEC, Chief Election Commissioner, can be assigned to Modi and Shah because they amended
14:58the law so that they had the final say in appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner.
15:05So, when the Chief Election Commissioner is questioned, Modi and Shah are also questioned.
15:12So, this is entirely tenable.
15:15And it's a good thing that the India Alliance has chalked out an action program to launch their protest against
15:26CEC and the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.
15:36You know, Mr. Roy, the CEC reports to the President, the EC is a constitutional body and bringing in and
15:44roping in the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, do you think that prudent?
15:52It's quite prudent.
15:55CEC is a constitutional body formed by Article 324.
16:01We are trying to move an impeachment motion, which is the constitutional way of removing the Chief Election Commissioner.
16:14But you have to remember that this present government, they amended the law so that the government had a majority
16:24in this election of the Chief Election Commissioner.
16:27So, when we are speaking against the Chief Election Commissioner, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister should be roped
16:38in.
16:38Because ultimately, if the election process fails altogether, which we want, which we are seeing, then the Prime Minister and
16:48the Home Minister also become meaningless.
17:15Thank you very much.
17:21So, parties that have stakeholders, parties like the Congress, Samajwadi parties, party that are stakeholders in these two states, then
17:29opt out of that election, boycott that election, because you have already said that any election under the CEC is
17:36a rigged unfair election.
17:41True.
17:42But we have not talked about boycotting election.
17:46We want to point out that any election held under the edges of this present CEC will be an unfair
17:55election.
17:56That doesn't mean that anybody has talked about boycotting election, let alone the state elections of the U.P. and
18:04Punjab.
18:05But India bloc is formed of many parties.
18:10Many parties who have different points of view, but they are one in wanting the removal of Chief Election Commissioner
18:20and Modi and Shah.
18:24The India bloc parties have differences with other parties in their state.
18:33But we have chalked out a six-month program of action and we shall follow this program of action.
18:48Mr. Roy, one final question, because there is a parallel protest by a pressure group on the 2nd of October
18:54in Mumbai that is being supported by the likes of Uddhav Sena, Uddhav Thakre as well.
19:00Where is the stand of the TMC on that?
19:04Have you pledged support to that protest?
19:11You see, we have been supporting the Kokoroj Janata Party, the CJP from the beginning.
19:17They are a non-political outfit.
19:21But when they raised the question of removal of the education minister, we supported it morally.
19:27So, it is from 2nd October, the Kokoroj Janata Party has charted a program of action.
19:37We have moral support.
19:39The details will be intimated to the public as time comes.
19:50All right.
19:51Okay.
19:51Mr. Roy, thank you for taking the time out this evening and joining us.
19:56Appreciate the time, sir.
19:57So, there you have it.
19:59Two senior leaders of two political parties, the TMC with Mr. Roy and Mr. Khera with the Congress that have
20:06come together along with other India Alliance partners with a clear point agenda, which will span the next six months
20:14where they want to escalate the protest politically, demanding the resignation of not just the CEC, but directly attacking the
20:23chair of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.
20:26We will see how it pans out.
20:28Thank you there.