Opposition MPs of the INDIA bloc held a sit-in protest at Ashoka Road on Wednesday to raise the issue of ‘vote chori’ and seek the ouster of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, a day after their eight-hour dharna to press for a meeting with election commissioners. Now actor and member of Parliament, Kamal Haasan, has written a letter to Gyanesh Kumar and urged him to meet the Opposition MPs and address the concerns that are being raised.
Kamal Haasan’s letter
In the letter posted on X, Kamal wrote with the subject line: ‘An Appeal for restoring public trust in the Election Commission of India.’
He began, “The right to vote is among the most fundamental expressions of our democracy. The Election Commission of India, as the constitutional institution entrusted with safeguarding that right, occupies a uniquely sacred position in our Republic.”
“Over recent years, however, a series of developments have contributed to a growing perception among the citizens of India, that the integrity of our electoral process is under strain. Concerns have been raised over the rushed, and in some instances, erroneous implementation of Special Intensive Revision and the resulting apprehensions of disenfranchisement… The process of protecting the electoral role must never a barrier to exercising the right to vote,” he added.
Urging Gyanesh Kumar to meet the Opposition MPs in the Parliament complex, Kamal Haasan concluded, “This is not a request on behalf of one political party. It is an appeal in the larger national interest. At a time when trust in the democratic institutions must be strengthened, an open door can be more powerful than a closed argument.”
The Opposition has alleged that the revision process could result in eligible voters being excluded from electoral rolls, while the Election Commission has maintained that the exercise is aimed at ensuring accurate and updated electoral rolls. Amid the ongoing protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the Congress and INDIA bloc would continue to take to the streets, face arrests and legal cases to “save the Constitution and democracy”.
Gandhi further said that the Opposition would continue its protest until Gyanesh Kumar resigns.
“We are not going to stop protesting till Gyanesh Kumar resigns. This is a fight to protect the most sacred thing in this country. There is nothing that Narendra Modi and Amit Shah can do that will stop us,” he said.