New Delhi [India], November 1 : Launching a sharp offensive against the Election Commission ahead of the opposition INDIA bloc's mega rally, Congress MP Jebi Mather on Sunday asserted that "soldiers of Indian democracy" are marching to Delhi's iconic Ramlila Maidan, demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Speaking to ANI in the national capital, the Rajya Sabha parliamentarian said the protest is a collective movement of citizens and democratic forces who refuse to stay silent in the face of alleged attacks on the country's constitutional framework.
"Soldiers of Indian democracy and protectors of our constitution will march to Ramlila Maidan today. This is a joint collective effort of all those who believe that a day has come when we cannot sit silently in our homes, and we have to raise our voice against the atrocity against the constitution and democracy," Mather said.
Demanding accountability from the top leadership of the poll body, the Congress MP asserted, "Gyanesh Kumar must resign."
The remarks come as thousands of opposition leaders and party cadres from across the INDIA bloc assemble at Ramlila Maidan to register a protest against alleged voter roll deletions and institutional bias under the current Election Commission leadership.
Earlier, calling the INDIA bloc's "Chalo Delhi" march a "second freedom struggle", Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Sunday said the gathering reflected public anger against the BJP government, alleging that people's expectations had been shattered and the right to vote had been compromised.
Speaking to ANI about the bloc's protest against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, Tiwari said people were joining the march out of concern for the Constitution and democracy.
"The people's tsunami that is surging is not just due to our efforts; it stems from deep-seated public anger and resentment against the BJP government. People feel their dreams have been shattered, and the expectations they held remain unfulfilled, driving them to join this rally in emotional opposition to the government. Having served as a state transport minister, I know how crowds used to be mobilised in the past, but today we haven't provided any transport or vehicles. People are gathering collectively by catching whatever transit they can find," Tiwari said.
"I can describe this in one word: this feels like a second freedom struggle, carrying the very same passion and resolve as the spirit of 1942. Back then it was the British, and today the Bharatiya Janata Party is replicating those exact actions," he added.