The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday extended its support to the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In a statement, the outfit alleged that the SIR exercise risked excluding eligible voters and undermining the principle that voters should choose their government, rather than the government choosing its voters.
“By undermining this very principle through SIR, Gyanesh Kumar has lost the trust required to oversee free and fair elections. His resignation is therefore necessary to restore the credibility and independence of the Election Commission,” the CJP said.
Invoking the Constituent Assembly’s commitment to universal adult franchise, the outfit said B R Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru and other framers of the Constitution had placed their faith in the electorate when millions of Indians had never participated in an election.
“The idea was simple: bring more citizens into democracy, not keep them out of it,” it said.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also announced the outfit’s support for the rally in a post on X, writing, “Gyanu must go! The Cockroach Janta Party extends its support to the INDIA Bloc’s November 1 rally. Nation above all!”
The outfit said the Election Commission was responsible for protecting every eligible citizen’s voting rights and should not create barriers to their exercise.
“Our Constitution gave every adult citizen the right to vote. It is our responsibility to ensure that no eligible citizen is deprived of that right,” the statement said.
The CJP said it would support organisations campaigning for free and fair elections in the country. The statement ended with the slogans “Jai Bhim” and “Jai Hind”.
(With inputs from PTI)