Symbolic public impeachment: CEC Gyanesh Kumar should face treason trial, says Rahul Gandhi

The opposition INDIA bloc on Saturday (October 31) conducted a symbolic "public impeachment" of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in the national capital. Held on the lawns of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence, the gathering was arranged to resemble a formal parliamentary session ahead of the opposition's scheduled Sunday rally. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the proceedings.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, delivered a scathing attack on the Election Commission and the ruling party, demanding that the CEC face trial for treason.

Rahul Gandhi alleges institutional shutdown and election rigging

Addressing fellow opposition leaders from the garden setting, Rahul Gandhi expressed sharp dismay at having to hold such a trial outdoors. He claimed that formal democratic spaces have been systematically shut off to opposition parties.

"It is absurd that entire opposition has to sit in garden to discus CEC's impeachment. We don't have any other option, every institution is closed for us," Gandhi said.

Standing up to back the motion against the election chief, Gandhi stated: "I rise to support the process of impeaching CEC Gyanesh Kumar...".

Pushing his demand further, he insisted on severe consequences: "I fully support motion to impeach Gyanesh Kumar, he should be tried for treason and justice be served".

Gandhi also accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of compromising the fairness of elections, warning that voters would hold them accountable. "BJP may continue to rig elections, but people of India, opposition members won't forgive and forget," he said.

BJP dismisses opposition move as a mockery of democracy

The ruling BJP hit back forcefully, calling the opposition’s event a "mockery" of Parliament and democratic norms.

At a press conference at BJP headquarters, party spokesperson Sambit Patra ridiculed Rahul Gandhi's leadership, stating that the Congress would fail no matter how hard it tried to "launch" him.

"Go ahead and hold your mock parliament or take out your marches; the world has already understood that Rahul Gandhi simply lacks the fuel. This 'satellite' is never going to launch," Patra remarked.

Patra added that the opposition could keep Gandhi as their "mock Prime Minister for life". He suggested they seat him on their mock treasury benches, swap his T-shirt for a kurta-pyjama, and chant "Prime Minister" like a bhajan-kirtan every day.

Addressing the allegations directly, Patra denied any wrongdoings in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and termed the Congress's 'vote chori' (vote theft) claims a lie. He countered by alleging that India's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, became PM by "stealing" votes from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

World Bank poverty figures cited to counter opposition claims

Joining the attack, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi cited the World Bank's latest report on India's poverty reduction to counter the opposition's narrative. The statistics show India's extreme poverty rate falling sharply from 27.1 per cent in 2011 to 2.6 per cent in 2023, lifting an estimated 49.6 crore (496 million) people out of poverty.

Trivedi argued that these hard numbers "mocked" the opposition's mock parliament. He asserted that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government works to eradicate poverty, Congress under Rahul Gandhi spreads the "flames of anarchy".

Responding to Gandhi's past claim that the Indian economy was dead, Trivedi remarked that it was actually the opposition's conscience and rational thinking that had died. He urged the Congress to reflect on reality versus fiction rather than adorn its "political funeral" to soothe the ambitions of its leader.

Trivedi reaffirmed that the NDA government remains committed to raising living standards across India, a progress now acknowledged internationally.