KC Venugopal accuses CEC of 'butchering' democracy, says PM Modi will leave office in disgrace

Kozhikode (Keralam): AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Saturday accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of "butchering" democracy in the country and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have to leave office in disgrace.

Addressing a 'Save Vote, Save Country' mega rally organised by the Congress here, Venugopal alleged that Kumar and other Election Commissioners had been given immunity under the law and were using it to undermine democratic rights.

He claimed that 13.32 crore voters had been removed from electoral rolls through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll exercise and alleged that the move would deprive them not only of their voting rights but also of other government benefits.

"From the day he received this protection, he started butchering our democracy," Venugopal said, referring to the Chief Election Commissioner.

He alleged that the removal of names from electoral rolls could have wider consequences, claiming that voter identity cards could become the basis for accessing government welfare benefits instead of Aadhaar cards.

Referring to a recent statement by a Union Minister in Patna, he said removing a person's name from the voter list would effectively take away several other rights and benefits available to them.

Venugopal alleged that the Modi government had expected to implement the SIR exercise easily with the support of the Chief Election Commissioner, but the protests in Delhi had challenged that plan.

He said Kumar would be removed from the post of CEC and asked people to count the days until his exit.

"I want to say this clearly, without any doubt, that Gyanesh Kumar will be removed from the post of Chief Election Commissioner. Count the days. More serious revelations against him are yet to come," he said.

Venugopal also challenged Modi to participate in a public debate with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after the BJP accused the latter of engaging in anti-national activities.

"Rahul Gandhi has challenged Narendra Modi to a public debate. Come and debate if you have the courage and the confidence. Why is he running away?" Venugopal asked.

He said Modi would become the most disgraced prime minister to leave office in the country's history.

Referring to the Congress protest in Delhi on November 1, Venugopal claimed that a crowd of around 10 lakh people had gathered, describing it as an unprecedented turnout in the capital in four decades.

He said the protest was attended not only by Congress workers but also by people who wanted to protect democracy and the right to vote.

Describing the protest as a fight for citizens' identity and existence, Venugopal warned the government against attempting to suppress the opposition through the police, the CRPF, or the armed forces.

The opposition is capable of responding to any such move with greater strength, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Mathrubhumi and is published from a syndicated feed.)