New Delhi [India], September 29 : Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said on Tuesday that massive protest demonstrations, such as the one recently organised in Chhattisgarh, would continue against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
"Definitely, it happened; a huge protest was held. And this will continue continuously," he said.
Asked whether the demand for CEC Gyanesh Kumar's arrest was even possible given the legal immunity and protection shield provided to the poll chief under recent amendments, Baghel said, "Everything is possible."
The remarks came as the Congress Working Committee (CWC) convened a high-level meeting in New Delhi to deliberate on strategic measures against alleged electoral roll manipulation and to map out the party's future course of action.
Congress leader Jitendra Singh said that the central topic of discussion in the CWC meeting revolves around "vote theft" complaints emerging nationwide.
"Complaints are coming from everywhere regarding the vote theft; this issue is coming from across the entire country. There are many polling booths from which 90 per cent of the voters' names (from the voter list) have gone missing. That's what the discussion is about today," he said.
Furthermore, Congress leader Harish Chaudhary took a swipe at the Centre, saying that the erosion of the poll panel's independence began when the selection mechanism for election commissioners was altered to exclude the Supreme Court Chief Justice in favour of a Cabinet Minister appointed by the Prime Minister.
"Not just SIR, but trampling and crushing the Constitution; this began when the decision was taken to appoint a member of the Cabinet by the Prime Minister in place of the Supreme Court Chief Justice," he said.
The Congress leader further targeted the immunity provided to the Election Commissioner under recent legal amendments, arguing that the protection exceeds the one given to the President or state Governors post-tenure.
"The protection given legally to the Election Commissioner, which is not a right available to the President and the Governor after leaving their posts, through that, instead of ensuring impartial elections from the Election Commissioner, the intention to ensure unanimous elections has been fulfilled," he said.
Chaudhary also raised serious legal objections regarding the usage of Form-6 and the handling of voter roll revisions under the SIR drive, claiming that the Election Commission has usurped powers that belong strictly to Parliament.
"In the context of Form-6 in SIR, does the Election Commission have the authority for that arrangement? No. This is a legislative right. Only a competent Parliament can exercise that right, which the Election Commission has done. If the IT cell sitting in the Election Commission is using the powers of the ERO, then aren't the rules, the Constitution, the procedures being trampled?" he questioned.
Meanwhile, the CWC is expected to move a resolution on the subject and call for further protests even as the party chalks out a strategy with other allies in the INDIA bloc meeting today (September 29).