Amid calls for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that the poll panel chief was made in charge of "match-fixing" India's elections by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Gandhi made this charge after sharing a post from Kerala Congress which cited media reports claiming that Kumar, a former IAS officer, had told a former Kerala chief secretary to contest on a BJP ticket after his retirement.
"First, Gyanesh Kumar - then a serving IAS officer - was used to recruit for the BJP. Then Modi and Shah made him the umpire and put him in charge of match-fixing India's elections," Gandhi alleged in a post on X.
There was no immediate response from CEC Kumar on the claims made by Gandhi or Kerala Congress.
Kumar has come under attack and criticism by the opposition over the SIR exercise and after a media report claimed differences within the Election Commission. The EC has, however, claimed that all decisions taken by it including on the SIR have been unanimous.
Priyanka steps up attack
Meanwhile, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also stepped up her attack on Gyanesh, demanding his resignation and removal of the legal safeguards available to the Election Commissioner, alleging that the BJP government had instituted the protections to shield the poll panel from accountability.
She said the INDIA bloc was united in seeking Kumar's removal and alleged that the Election Commissioner was being protected by the BJP government.
Vadra was responding to questions about reports of differences within the three-member Election Commission over various decisions and instructions relating to electoral-roll revision, deletion and addition of names, changes to forms for new voters and access to voter data.
"I strongly believe that the legal safeguards that are provided to the Election Commissioner, which were instituted by the BJP government to protect him no matter what he does, those safeguards need to be removed," the Wayanad MP told reporters in Malappuram on Saturday.
She was referring to the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which provides legal protection to the CEC and ECs under Section 16.
The provision bars courts from entertaining or continuing civil or criminal proceedings against a serving or former CEC or Election Commissioner for any act, thing or word done, committed or spoken while acting, or purporting to act, in the discharge of their official duties.
In effect, Section 16 provides the CEC and ECs immunity from civil and criminal proceedings for acts, decisions or statements made in the course of their official functions.
Vadra said if the Eelection Commissioner was committing serious crimes against democracy, it would be practically impossible for it to happen without the support of the political leadership.
"If anyone is committing illegal acts against the nation, against our Constitution, against India, they need to be tried for the criminal action they are involved in. This is treason and they need to be tried for it," she said.
Vadra also alleged that if the Election Commissioner had been "aiding and abetting" the BJP in rigging elections, those involved would naturally try to justify their actions.
"You are seeing their overconfident statements before every election... predicting the exact amount of seats they are going to get... where are they getting their overconfidence from," she asked.
She claimed that people on the ground were unhappy with the BJP and said there was a discrepancy between what people were saying and election results.
"So, what you hear on the grounds from the people is something and the election results are something else," she said.
Asked about the Congress' immediate demand in the matter, Vadra said Rahul Gandhi had already made it clear that Kumar should resign.
On the position of the parties in the INDIA bloc, she said they were all together on the issue.
"The INDIA bloc is very clear on this point. Every single leader in the alliance, every single party is in full agreement that what is going on is absolutely illegal... it is anti-constitutional... against our nation... against our democracy. And those who are doing it have to be taken to task. They have to be held responsible," she said.
(With inputs from PTI)
