AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday told the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) that it should directly demand Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation instead of limiting its campaign to seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, as the political row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls intensified.
Speaking at the Pratidin Time Conclave, Kejriwal alleged that decisions attributed to the Chief Election Commissioner were being taken at the behest of the Prime Minister. His remarks came after the CJP demanded Kumar’s resignation and threatened a nationwide agitation if he did not step down.
‘Demand boss’s resignation’
Kejriwal referred to the CJP’s earlier campaigns and said the organisation had first sought Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and was now demanding Kumar’s removal.
“I say, go ahead and directly demand the boss’s resignation. Everything is happening at his behest,” Kejriwal said, referring to Modi. He further said the movement should now demand the Prime Minister’s resignation, alleging that the CEC had acted for “his boss”. These were political allegations made by Kejriwal; no evidence establishing such direction by the Prime Minister was cited in his remarks.
CJP sticks to demand
The CJP, however, has maintained that its immediate demand is Kumar’s resignation. Its founder Abhijeet Dipke had given the CEC 48 hours to step down and warned of a nationwide agitation if he failed to do so.
CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka reiterated on Monday that the organisation would not withdraw its demand. The group has announced an “Election Commission Thik Karo” campaign and plans to begin its agitation from Mumbai on October 2.
SIR at centre
The controversy centres on the Election Commission’s SIR exercise and reports of differences within the poll panel over aspects of the process. CJP has alleged large-scale exclusion of voters from electoral rolls and demanded that the revision exercise be stopped.
The group has claimed that more than 13 crore names were excluded from draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories during the exercise. It has sought restoration of the January 2025 rolls pending verification and an independent investigation into decisions taken during the revision process.
EC rejects division claim
The Election Commission has rejected suggestions that differences expressed during its internal deliberations meant its final decisions were divided. The poll body has said differing views, written observations and internal checks are part of the institutional decision-making process.
The Commission has maintained that decisions relating to SIR were ultimately taken unanimously by the full three-member panel. It has also rejected Opposition allegations that the revision exercise was designed to manipulate electoral outcomes.
Pressure on CEC
The CJP campaign comes amid mounting Opposition criticism of Kumar. AAP and the CPI(M) had earlier sought his removal, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also called for his resignation following reports concerning internal deliberations within the Election Commission.
The Election Commission recently postponed youth voter-awareness programmes in Meerut and Varanasi that Kumar was scheduled to address. An EC official said changes to programme dates were routine and could be necessitated by factors including venue availability and official schedules.
October 2 protest
CJP has said it intends to begin its nationwide campaign with a protest in Mumbai on October 2. The organisation has framed its campaign around demands for electoral reforms, scrutiny of voter deletions and greater accountability within the Election Commission.
Kejriwal’s intervention has now sought to shift the political focus from the CEC to the Prime Minister, though the CJP has so far continued to centre its campaign on Kumar and the functioning of the Election Commission.