New Delhi, Sept 24: Escalating his attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar amid a major row surrounding the Election Commission of India (ECI), Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday declared that the country has entered "unprecedented territory," asserting that the chain connecting votes, legislation, institutions, and the Constitution has been fundamentally fractured.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Gandhi cited an investigative report by The Indian Express, which revealed that two sitting Election Commissioners—Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi—had formally recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding procedures, database changes, and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
Responding to a question from ANI, Gandhi argued that the reported internal dissents signal a situation India has never confronted before, calling on the Chief Election Commissioner to step forward as an approver.
"I said that he [CEC Gyanesh Kumar] should turn Approver... As I said earlier, this situation had never occurred in India. We are somewhere new now... We are suddenly finding ourselves where the chain between the vote, the laws, the institutions and the Constitution is broken. It's a new territory," said Rahul Gandhi.
Gandhi contended that public faith in standard democratic structures has been deeply eroded, though widespread apprehension has kept people from voicing their concerns openly.
"Everybody in India believes that the system is damaged. Many people believe that it has ceased to exist, and many people believe that it is damaged; there is nobody in their right mind in India who does not suspect that the system is damaged. There is fear, so people are scared to say it," he said.
However, he added that the objections raised by the two Election Commissioners mark a turning point, urging citizens and officials to speak out.
"But the fear is reducing because 2 Election Commissioners who were scared to say it have said it. So, there are many patriotic people like those two gentlemen who are willing to say it, and it is most important for India's future that we say it. Because remaining silent on it is an anti-national act," said Rahul Gandhi.
Labelling the situation an attack on the constitutional foundation of the country, Gandhi demanded the immediate resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the poll body of failing to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process and failing to protect against "vote chori" (voter theft).
(ANI)
