Gyanesh Kumar resignation: CJP threatens nationwide protest from Oct 2

Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke said the party would launch nationwide protests from October 2 if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar did not resign by Saturday, amid controversy over reported differences within the Election Commission over electoral roll revision

New Delhi: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday said the outfit would stage nationwide protests from October 2, which marks Gandhi Jayanti, if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by Saturday.

This comes a day after the CJP demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation within 48 hours and warned of a nationwide agitation if he did not step down.

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In a post on X, Abhijeet Dipke said, “If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by tomorrow, CJP will begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai on 2 October, and take it to cities across India.”

“This Gandhi Jayanti, let’s pledge to save democracy,” he added.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Dipke had said, “If within 48 hours Gyanesh Kumar doesn’t resign, the Cockroach Janata Party will start a nationwide agitation. We won’t step back till the time Gyanesh Kumar resigns.”

The CEC has come under criticism following reports of differences within the Election Commission of India (ECI) over decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, access to voter data and new voter registrations, among other issues.

The Election Commission, however, has said that differing views expressed during internal deliberations do not constitute decisions of the Commission and maintained that its decisions were taken unanimously.

Abhijeet Dipke said, “A report came out regarding the Election Commission, which shows that Gyanesh Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner, is the biggest traitor of this country. He is the biggest anti-national. Gyanesh Kumar is the biggest anti-national of this country, and he should resign immediately. Now, why is he anti-national? Because he is undermining India’s democracy.”

He alleged that the functioning of the Election Commission under Kumar had undermined democracy.

“What did democracy mean in our country? Democracy meant that the people would choose the government; the people would decide whom they want to vote for. But ever since Gyanesh Kumar became the Chief Election Commissioner, the government has been deciding who will vote and who will not,” he said.

“You have completely turned democracy upside down. This is not democracy; this is autocracy. And the biggest criminal in this, the biggest anti-national, is Gyanesh Kumar,” Dipke remarked.

CJP co-convenor Saurav Das had also criticised the functioning of the electoral system during the press conference.

“They have turned the country into a huge joke under the current system. This system is corrupt; this system is broken. The youth of the country is demanding change. They are saying, ‘Change is required; fundamental change is required’,” Das said.