PM, Shah, CEC 'traitors', Gyanesh Kumar must quit immediately: Rahul

• Rahul Gandhi accused Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and CEC Gyanesh Kumar of being ‘traitors’, alleging that they had "destroyed" the sanctity of the vote.

• Gandhi demanded Kumar’s immediate resignation and suggested that the CEC turn approver, claiming Modi and Shah were "at the top" of an electoral conspiracy.

• The Congress leader claimed he was "100 per cent sure" elections were being rigged and questioned what he described as the disappearance of anti-incumbency.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar ‘deshdrohis’ (traitors), accusing them of "destroying" India's vote and demanding the immediate resignation of the CEC.

The Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition also claimed he was "100 per cent certain" that Assembly and Lok Sabha elections were being rigged, alleging that the destruction of the vote would ultimately undermine the Constitution, laws and democratic institutions.

Gandhi's allegations came a day after The Indian Express reported that election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders concerning electoral rolls and the special intensive revision (SIR), including matters that they said had been taken without their knowledge.

The two commissioners reportedly raised concerns over changes to the Form 6 used for voter registration, access to the electoral roll database and the handling of appeals arising from the SIR exercise in West Bengal. They also objected to what they described as the gradual centralisation of the electoral roll database and questioned the authority of officials to restrict access to systems used by statutory election officers.

At a press conference at Delhi's Indira Bhawan, Gandhi said the Election Commission was supposed to protect the vote and alleged that Kumar had acted against the interests of the country.

"This is an attack on the Constitution and the legal structure of the country. You were supposed to ensure that the vote was protected. We have enough information to prove this with certainty," Gandhi said. "There are going to be consequences to this. We are not going to let democracy be destroyed and sit silent. Those responsible will be punished."

Gandhi suggested that Kumar should turn approver, saying this would amount to an act of nationalism. "My suggestion to Gyanesh Kumar is that he should turn approver. That would be an act of nationalism," he said. He alleged that Modi and Shah were "at the top of this conspiracy" and would eventually be investigated.

"PM Modi and Home Minister Shah are both going to be investigated for what is being done. They are at the top of this conspiracy and they will be investigated for what they have done to this country," Gandhi said.

Calling the two leaders ‘deshdrohis’, Gandhi alleged that they had "destroyed the vote" in India's democracy.

The Election Commission of India has rejected allegations of electoral manipulation and defended its processes.

Anti-incumbency cannot disappear’

Gandhi also sought to buttress his allegation by questioning what he described as the disappearance of anti-incumbency in India.

He played videos of Modi and Shah at the press conference and asked reporters to listen to their tone. In one clip, Shah is heard saying the BJP would remain in power for 30 years, while another showed Modi raising the ‘abki baar 400 paar’ slogan ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Gandhi argued that such statements were incompatible with the normal functioning of a democracy. "In India, there is a fundamental force called anti-incumbency which starts to resist and it does not spare anybody," he said.

He cited former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's experience after the 1971 Bangladesh War to argue that even a popular leader could face a backlash within a short period. "Indira Gandhi wins the Bangladesh War and within a year or two, massive pressure mounts due to anti-incumbency. It happens to leader after leader. It does not happen to Modi, Shah and the BJP — now we know the answer to it," Gandhi said.

"We can understand the popularity of a person, the performance of a government but anti-incumbency completely disappearing? It does not exist in Iraq of Saddam Hussain and in North Korea," he added.

Gandhi said the vote was the foundation of India's democratic system and argued that the Election Commission's role in protecting it was therefore fundamental. "If the vote has been destroyed then our Constitution has been destroyed, it no longer has the power. If the Constitution is destroyed laws are illegal and our institutions are meaningless," he said.

"The EC is the institutional protector of this vote and from there everything arises. If the vote is destroyed Constitution is not functioning, laws are destroyed and institutions mean nothing," he added.

Gandhi said he was "100 per cent certain" that elections in India were being rigged. "From vote chori (theft) comes kanoon chori (theft of law) and from that comes sanstha chori (theft of institutions)," he said.

He went further, claiming he was "100 per cent sure" that elections were being rigged and questioning how anti-incumbency could effectively disappear from the electoral system.

His attack came a day after he accused the BJP, RSS and Election Commission of committing an "act of treason" through alleged ‘vote chori’, describing it as a direct attack on the Constitution.

The controversy has prompted a wider Opposition offensive against Kumar. Several Opposition parties have demanded his resignation, while reports said Opposition leaders were considering another attempt to initiate proceedings for his removal.

The Congress has also called a meeting of its working committee on 29 September to discuss its strategy over the controversy surrounding the CEC and the SIR process.

With PTI inputs