"Not going to let you escape": Rahul Gandhi warns CEC at impeachment programme

New Delhi : Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday warned Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar that the Opposition would not allow him and others allegedly involved in electoral irregularities to escape accountability, asserting that they would have to face the representatives of the people of India.

Addressing the INDIA bloc's symbolic public impeachment programme against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Rahul Gandhi said that the Chief Election Commissioner was only one among several people allegedly involved in what he described as an assault on the country.

"We are not going to let you escape. I also want to address the people who have carried out this assault on the Union of India. Gyanesh Kumar is just one element; there are many others. We know who they are, and we understand deeply who they are," he said.
Warning the officials allegedly involved, Rahul Gandhi said that political developments were shifting and that the Opposition would continue to defend the Constitution and the voice of the people.

"This is a warning to you: things are shifting. Please hear this warning and realise that this is a new political weapon sitting in the garden, and this weapon is going to hurt you very badly if you continue down your path. I am saying this with love and affection; we are not nasty or evil people, but we will protect the Constitution and the voice of our people," he said.
He also extended his support to the motion seeking the impeachment of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and said that the Election Commissioner should also "face trial in a court" of law.

"I fully support the motion that Mr Gyanesh Kumar should not only be impeached but should also be tried in a court of law for treason so that justice can be served," Rahul Gandhi said.
Questioning the 2024 Lok Sabha election results, the Congress leader alleged that 13.3 crore voters, accounting for 15 per cent of India's electorate, had been deleted from electoral rolls. He compared the figure with the three per cent vote margin between the Opposition and the winning side in the general elections.

"I just want to make one small point. 13.3 crore voters were deleted. That is one in every seven Indians. 15% of India's voters were deleted. In the last Lok Sabha election, these voters supposedly voted. The difference between the opposition and those who won the election was a 3% vote margin," he said.
He further alleged that the deletion of voters raised questions about the legitimacy of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the BJP members who entered Parliament following the polls.

"So, the election was won by a 3% vote, and now the Election Commission itself is saying that 15% of those voters should never have voted. Which means that the Election Commission itself is stating that the 2024 Lok Sabha election is an illegal election, and the people who entered the Lok Sabha, the BJP people who entered the Lok Sabha, did so illegally," he said.
Rahul Gandhi also asserted that the Opposition had sufficient evidence against the CEC and said that he would not be able to continue in the constitutional post.
"Mr Gyanesh Kumar is not going to survive as the Chief Election Commissioner. We already have enough proof to make sure that this gentleman cannot survive. And if the BJP insists on keeping him after we reveal what we know, then it will be very clear what the BJP's game is," he said.

Describing the gathering as more than a meeting of parliamentarians and citizens, Gandhi said it was a political weapon directed at everyone allegedly involved in undermining the electoral process, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"This looks like a meeting of Lok Sabha MPs, Rajya Sabha MPs, and common citizens. But actually, this is a political weapon. This is an extremely dangerous political weapon that is sitting in the garden of the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and this weapon is targeted directly at every single person, starting from Mr Gyanesh Kumar, going to Mr Modi, going to Mr Shah, and every single person who has colluded to destroy the vote of the Indian people," he said.
He further warned that those allegedly involved would not be able to take shelter behind the institution indefinitely.

"Remember, you will not always hide behind that institution. Remember that one day, today or tomorrow, you are going to face the representatives of the people of India," he said.
In another sharp message to the CEC and officials working under him, Rahul Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah might be at the top, but those allegedly acting as their instruments would be the Opposition's first target.

"Mr Modi and Mr Shah might be on top. We will deal with them, but you are their instruments, and so you are our first target. So if Mr Gyanesh Kumar thinks, or the five or seven people below him think, that immunity will save them, I would kindly suggest to them, with love and affection, to take a look at what is going on in the country. Please understand the mood of the people outside," he said.
He also referred to the Opposition's proposed show of strength at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, saying a united Opposition would demonstrate the public mood on the issue.

"You will see tomorrow itself. You will see tomorrow that a political weapon is going to be placed on the streets of Delhi. A united opposition is going to show you exactly what the mood of the people of this country is. You can continue to rig the elections. You can continue to control and allow the misuse of the CBI, the ED, and every single institution of this country. But we guarantee you that this is a temporary phenomenon," Rahul Gandhi said.

The symbolic public impeachment programme was organised by INDIA bloc leaders against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, during which a motion seeking his impeachment was passed. The programme comes ahead of the Opposition's proposed gathering at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday.