INDIA bloc unveils action plan over EC SIR Row

NEW DELHI: Projecting the Opposition leaders as the “collective defenders” of the Constitution, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc on Wednesday unveiled an action plan over the SIR row that included protests in districts, holding rallies in major cities, MPs’ march to Election Commission and approaching the President against the “vote chori” government under Narendra Modi.

The parties also agreed that paper ballots should replace Electronic Voting Machines and to appeal to the Supreme Court to expedite cases on electoral malpractices besides filing a joint petition to revoke the 2023 law governing the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners and that provides lifelong immunity from civil and criminal proceedings.

The decisions came at a nearly two-and-half-hour long meeting attended by 33 leaders from 19 parties, including top Opposition leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Omar Abdullah, Tejashwi Yadav, MA Baby, Dipankar Bhattacharya, Vaiko and Kapil Sibal. Uddhav Thackeray and Hemant Soren joined the meeting online.

The nationwide protests start with ‘Save Democracy’ marches at district level between October 2 and 8, which could involve not just I.N.D.I.A. parties but youth and civil society that “believes in the Constitution and unity of the country”.

On October 6, the Opposition MPs will march to the Election Commission. Sources said in the meeting, there were suggestions that they should carry out the march soon after their deliberations but there was a view that there should be a better organised protest.

The leaders of Opposition parties will also seek an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu in October second week to tell her that a government that committed “vote chori” is in power. Five big rallies are also being planned across India with one being in Delhi on November 1 while other cities where it will be held include Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, Congress president Kharge said the Election Commission is playing ‘Gombe Aat’ or a puppet show controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

“These two or three people are there to keep the pawns in front, but in reality, they are the ones who are getting the thefts done and winning the elections through that theft…So I want to tell you what should be done about this , what will be done,” he said adding, there has been “100% unanimity” among parties over the demand for returning to ballot paper.