NEW DELHI — The Congress on Wednesday welcomed the Trinamool Congress’ proposal to move an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, alleging serious irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
The reaction came after Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy announced that the party plans to initiate an impeachment motion against the CEC under Article 324 of the Constitution, which outlines the powers and functions of the Election Commission.
“We will bring an impeachment motion against the CEC as per Article 324 of the Constitution. We have many complaints regarding his functioning,” Roy said.
Responding to the development, Congress leader Udit Raj said the move was welcome and that the party had been raising similar concerns for a long time.
“It is a welcome step. We have been fighting on this issue for quite some time. In fact, when Rahul Gandhi highlighted how vote deletions occurred in Karnataka and raised concerns about alleged manipulation in voter turnout in Maharashtra and Haryana, the Trinamool Congress did not support us then,” he told IANS.
Udit Raj added that the Congress had also taken out a large protest march against the SIR exercise in Bihar.
“When we organised a major yatra against the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar, the Trinamool Congress did not support us at that time. However, we will support the TMC now,” he told IANS.
Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat also criticised the functioning of constitutional institutions and alleged that agencies were often used against opposition parties.
“His (the CEC’s) attitude towards the opposition has appeared vindictive in several instances, whether it is related to the ED or other institutions. The way the Special Intensive Revision has been conducted in Bihar and West Bengal raises questions,” Bhagat said.
He further alleged that such exercises were being used as political tools.
“Somewhere, the BJP and the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have made such processes a tool for gaining political advantage. They frequently talk about infiltrators, and this narrative was also visible in Bihar,” he said.
Bhagat also noted that although the current initiative is reportedly being led by the Trinamool, Rahul Gandhi had been raising questions about the impartiality of the Election Commission for a long time.
Independent MP from Purnia, Pappu Yadav, also supported the demand for action against the Chief Election Commissioner.
“Gyanesh Kumar appears to be functioning like a political leader. At present, it seems as though the Election Commission is no longer acting independently. There is a need to bring an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner,” he said.
Opposition MPs are now expected to begin collecting signatures from members of both Houses of Parliament to formally move the motion. According to parliamentary rules, at least 100 MPs from the Lok Sabha and 50 MPs from the Rajya Sabha must sign the notice for it to be considered.
The process for removing the Chief Election Commissioner is similar to the procedure followed for the removal of a judge of the Supreme Court or a High Court. Under the relevant law governing the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, the CEC can be removed only on the grounds of proven misbehaviour or incapacity. – IANS
