Cockroach Janta Party supports INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally

The Cockroach Janta Party backed the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally and demanded Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The party alleged the exercise could exclude eligible voters and undermine free and fair elections

New Delhi: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday extended its support to the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

In a statement, the outfit said the SIR exercise had raised serious concerns about the exclusion of eligible voters and alleged that the Election Commission was undermining the principle that people should choose their government, rather than the government choosing its voters.

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“By undermining this very principle through SIR, Gyanesh Kumar has lost the trust required to oversee free and fair elections. His resignation is therefore necessary to restore the credibility and independence of the Election Commission,” the CJP said.

Invoking the Constituent Assembly’s commitment to universal adult franchise, the outfit said Dr B R Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru and other makers of the Constitution had placed their faith in the people at a time when millions of Indians had never participated in an election.

“The idea was simple: bring more citizens into democracy, not keep them out of it,” it said.

The outfit said the Election Commission was responsible for safeguarding the voting rights of every eligible citizen and should not create obstacles to exercising them.

“Our Constitution gave every adult citizen the right to vote. It is our responsibility to ensure that no eligible citizen is deprived of that right,” the statement said.

The CJP said it would support all organisations fighting for free and fair elections in the country. The statement ended with the slogans “Jai Bhim” and “Jai Hind”.