BENGALURU: Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government of suppressing peaceful protests in Delhi, alleging that the Centre was scared of the Gen Z movement and was denying protesters permission to demonstrate at Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site.
Speaking to reporters here, he questioning the Centre’s support for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and asked why the latter was not responding to allegations against the Election Commission.
“Why is the Central government so keen on protecting the Chief Election Commissioner? Where is Mr Gyanesh Kumar hiding? Is he hiding in Amit Shah’s house, the prime minister’s house or the RSS headquarters in Nagpur? Why is he not answering, and why is the BJP answering on his behalf?” he said.
Kharge alleged that the prime minister and Union home minister were unwilling to act on complaints concerning the Election Commission, leaving the Congress with no option but to approach President Droupadi Murmu. He said the party had brought to her notice its concerns over the handling of Forms 6 and 7, used in the voter registration and electoral roll objection process.
“The Election Commission is a constitutional body, but it is not above the Constitution,” he said, expressing confidence that the President would act in her capacity as the constitutional head.
Predicting that Gyanesh Kumar would resign soon, Kharge drew a parallel with former Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, as cited in his remarks.
Reacting to BJP leader Bhaskar Rao’s remarks concerning YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, Kharge said Rao should have verified the facts before commenting. He alleged that the BJP had embarrassed itself and challenged the Union government to respond with the relevant facts.