INDIA Bloc Holds Mock Parliament to Impeach Election Chief

The INDIA bloc conducted a symbolic impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during a mock Parliament session in New Delhi. Presided over by Meira Kumar, the session protested alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The opposition followed the session with a 'Dilli Chalo' rally at Ramlila Maidan, attended by leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee, and Akhilesh Yadav.

Rahul Gandhi accused Gyanesh Kumar of treason and "vote chori," alleging that 13.5 crore names were removed from electoral rolls to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The alliance is now demanding the scrapping of the SIR process, the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, and a democratic appointment process for the office in line with Supreme Court directions. The bloc has scheduled a massive protest for November 5 at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, with plans to expand the agitation to district and block levels nationwide.

BJP leaders dismissed the protests as melodrama. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma mocked the mock Parliament, stating that while Gandhi might be Prime Minister in a simulation, Narendra Modi remains the actual Prime Minister. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami further criticized the events as an attempt to create anarchy by those rejected by the public, claiming the protests caused economic losses exceeding Rs 20,000 crore for traders during Diwali.