‘Zero transparency, zero accountability from EC’, claims YouTuber Dhruv Rathee at SIR protest in Bengaluru | Today’s news
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee claimed on Thursday that there was “zero transparency and zero accountability from the EC” regarding the SIR exercise.
Addressing a protest organized by civil society groups and the CJP against the SIR at Freedom Park here, he said, “I have not come here for regime change.”
Actor-activist Prakash Raj, who also took part in the protest, demanded the cancellation of the SIR exercise, claiming that it was not just a matter of erasing votes but an attack on the dignity and rights of citizens.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar “is acting on the orders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah,” he said.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke attended the protest on Thursday.
Thousands of supporters of the “Cockroach” movement and several student groups demonstrated in the southern city of Bengaluru on Thursday, intensifying a nationwide campaign calling for the resignation of the election chief over a controversial voter roll revision that has removed more than 130 million people from the rolls.
Read also | Bengaluru CJP protest: Prakash Raj, Dhruv Rathee to join SIR protest today
This fight will not be easy: CJP ahead of October 10 protest
Meanwhile, the CJP and student organizations on Wednesday called for a united mobilization against Kumar ahead of their October 10 protest, saying the agitation will continue until the electoral system is overhauled.
At a joint press conference in New Delhi, the groups sought to put their campaign against the Election Commission (EC) on a broader political footing, supporting a protest march by opposition MPs from the INDIA bloc on October 6 and describing the confrontation as one between people defending democracy and the BJP.
In July, the CJP-led agitation over the NEET paper leak forced Dharmendra Pradhan to resign as the Union Education Minister. The group is now trying to maintain street pressure against Kumar as anti-EC protests intensify ahead of October 10.
The CJP, All India Students’ Association (AISA), All India Students’ Federation (AISF) and Students’ Federation of India (SFI) came together for a press conference on Wednesday. The Aam Aadmi Party’s student wing, the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP), also participated.
Read also | Celebrities who extended support to CJP protested against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
CJP co-organizer Saurav Das urged people across the country to travel to Delhi and be prepared for a prolonged agitation.
“This fight will not be easy. I urge everyone across the country to join us, book train and air tickets,” he said.
Even if Kumar steps down, the protesters will not back down because the electoral system must be cleaned, Das said, arguing that the BJP’s suppression reflected a “lust for eternal power”.
The demands outlined by Das include Kumar’s resignation and initiation of criminal proceedings against him; freezing the special intensive revision of the electoral rolls, stopping the upcoming elections, renewing the January 2025 electoral roll and ordering an independent inquiry; and repealing the 2023 Act governing EC appointments to create an independent and credible selection process.
