NEW DELHI: Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the INDIA bloc’s symbolic “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday, seated in a chair steeped in history. The chair was once used by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.The information was shared by Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, who was involved in organising the event at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at 10, Rajaji Marg in New Delhi.“The chair on which Meira Kumar sat during today’s public impeachment proceedings against the CEC was once occupied by the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, the great-grandfather of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi,” Khera later said in a post on X.“It was Nehru Ji’s chair throughout his tenure as prime minister. It witnessed some of the most consequential decisions in our nation’s history and carries the weight of that legacy,” he added.Khera said that Meira Kumar, sitting in the same chair, pronounced Gyanesh Kumar “unfit to continue as the Chief Election Commissioner of India”.“Gyanesh Kumar has been rejected by the people of India. It is only a matter of time before he goes,” he said.The INDIA bloc organised the symbolic proceedings, accusing the CEC of allegedly facilitating the deletion of voters’ names from electoral rolls and demanding that he be tried in court for treason and jailed.Kumar opened the proceedings, saying the opposition had decided to convene the meeting because of alleged wrongful deletions of eligible voters.“When this issue is raised by the INDIA bloc, there is no accountability. So we have decided that the INDIA bloc will hold a meeting and bring a proposal to remove Gyanesh Kumar,” she said.The resolution was moved by Kharge, seconded by Samajwadi Party leader Harendra Malik and supported by Rahul Gandhi and other opposition MPs and civil society representatives. It was adopted unanimously through a show of hands.Kharge alleged that the right to vote was under threat and accused the Election Commission of functioning at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah.Rahul Gandhi described the proceedings as a “political weapon” against those who, he alleged, had colluded to destroy people’s votes.
“I don’t think anything like this has ever happened in history,” Gandhi said, adding that “every single institution is closed to us”.“I fully support the motion to impeach Gyanesh Kumar, who should be tried for treason in court and justice should be served,” he said.The BJP criticised the event, accusing the INDIA bloc of making a “mockery” of Parliament and democracy. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the opposition was holding a “mock parliament” and took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi.The symbolic proceedings came ahead of the INDIA bloc’s November 1 march and rally at Ramlila Maidan, where opposition leaders are seeking to intensify pressure for the CEC’s removal and raise concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.