Congress leaders and workers took part in a rally in Margao demanding the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The participants later burnt his effigy. Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
The Congress party upped the ante in supportof its demand for the resignation and arrest of Chief Election CommissionerGyanesh Kumar, with the party taking out a rally in the commercial capitalbefore setting his effigy on fire on Monday.
Top Congress leaders, including GPCC PresidentGirish Chodankar, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, South Goa MP ViriatoFernandes, senior working president M K Sheikh, and party leaders and workersparticipated in the protest held near the South Goa district office.
In his address, Leader of Opposition YuriAlemao said that the CEC has no right to continue in office for what he termedas the murder of democracy. He said the functioning and agenda of the ChiefElection Commissioner has been exposed by the objections raised by the twoother Election Commissioners in respect of the SIR during the last 10 months.“There’s a storm across the country demanding the resignation of Kumar or hissacking by the government. He is responsible for the deletion of 13 crorevoters from the electoral list. In Goa, around 1.27 lakh names have beendeleted from the electoral rolls during the SIR,” he said.
Alemao demanded that the ECI restore the namesof all the deleted voters on the electoral rolls, other than the dead voters.
Referring to the statement made by BJP Goapresident Damu Naik that the BJP will retain power in Goa with 50 per cent ofthe vote, Alemao said this is all part of the vote chori aimed at stealing themandate of the people.
In his address, South Goa MP Viriato Fernandessaid the BJP is out to murder democracy through people such as Chief ElectionCommissioner Gyanesh Kumar heading the Election Commission. He warned that theprotests would continue across the country till Kumar tendered his resignationas the Chief Election Commissioner.
GPCC Chief Girish Chodankar said the Congresshas held protests in all the districts in the state demanding the resignationof CEC Gyanesh Kumar. He warned that the protests would be intensified if Kumardoes not resign or the government does not sack him from office.
