NEW DELHI: Senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Indresh Kumar on Sunday urged citizens to remain vigilant against what he described as “ideologies that threaten the country’s unity and integrity” as he addressed the recent protests by opposition parties and the youth pressure group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.“India must remain vigilant against ideologies that threaten its unity and integrity. … Any attempt to weaken India’s unity, integrity and constitutional framework cannot be accepted,” Kumar said at a conference of RSS affiliate Muslim Rashtriya Manch in Lucknow.Reacting to the opposition’s protests, Kumar questioned whether the pursuit of political power could take precedence over the country’s stability and national interests.“Spreading distrust in the electoral system and constitutional institutions is futile. … India needs responsible leadership, social harmony and nation-building, not confrontation and chaos,” he added.Citing the situations in Bangladesh and Pakistan, Kumar warned that violence, extremism, political confrontation and social divisions could undermine peace and stability in any country.
The opposition and CJP have been demanding CEC Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Protests erupted in several parts of the country, particularly in Delhi, following a report by The Indian Express last month that the two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had raised objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions they claimed had been taken without their knowledge.Congress MP and Lok Sabha leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi, who has led opposition protests against the CEC, has repeatedly named RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat among five people he alleges have “hijacked” national institutions. The other four are Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, Gyanesh Kumar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.The RSS is the ideological mentor of the ruling BJP.(With PTI inputs)