Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday stepped up the Opposition's attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, calling him an "enemy of the country" and alleging that he had "gone underground" amid protests demanding his resignation.
Speaking to reporters, Raut said the Election Commission should meet Opposition MPs who, he alleged, had faced injustice in West Bengal, Maharashtra and Bihar, where the poll panel had "helped the BJP".
"All Opposition MPs will march to the Election Commission of India's office in New Delhi on Tuesday," Raut said.
The Opposition's latest attack on Kumar comes after a report in The Indian Express said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, saying they were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
Responding to the report, the EC said differing views and observations were part of deliberations in any institution and maintained that all its orders had full legal sanction and followed established statutory procedures.
"Gyanesh Kumar is an enemy of the country. Gyanesh Kumar should come before us. He is underground," Raut alleged.
The Rajya Sabha MP also said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should not defend the CEC.
Opposition MPs are set to march to the EC headquarters on Tuesday over alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls and to press for Kumar's resignation.
On Sunday, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray jointly led a protest march in Mumbai demanding the CEC's ouster. Several Congress and NCP (SP) leaders also participated in the protest.
(With inputs from PTI)
