After meeting President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said that he was "shocked" that she accepted the Opposition's allegations of 'vote chore' rather than denying it.
The Opposition MPs met the President amid the ongoing protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Following the meeting, Gandhi said that the President accepted the statement and sought proof of ‘vote chori’. Track latest updates on anti-CEC row
“I just sat in quite an unbelievable meeting with the President of India. We presented our memorandum to her outlining PM Modi and HM Amit Shah’s gross subversion of India’s electoral system and seeking CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. I was shocked that the President did not deny Vote Chori,” Gandhi wrote on X.
Also read: Inside Opposition’s 4-point memorandum to President Murmu: What Rahul Gandhi, Kharge demanded
{{/usCountry}}Also read: Inside Opposition’s 4-point memorandum to President Murmu: What Rahul Gandhi, Kharge demanded
{{/usCountry}}Gandhi said that he told the President that proof of 'election chori' is known to country as state after state has been stolen.
A 10-member Opposition delegation addressed the press on the outcome of their representation to the President. The 10-member delegation included Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
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The bloc's regional heavyweights were represented by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party leader Rajiv Rai, NCP leader Supriya Sule and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah.
Deep Dive
What did Rahul Gandhi say President Murmu’s response was to the Opposition’s vote theft allegations?
What four demands did the INDIA bloc make in its memorandum to President Murmu?
Why did INDIA bloc MPs meet President Murmu over the CEC and SIR?
“Our memorandum to the President clearly said that PM Modi, home minister Amit Shah and CEC Gyanesh Kumar have conspired to destroy Indian democracy” Gandhi was quoted as saying.
Rahul Gandhi quotes Nehru ahead of meeting with President
Before meeting President Murmu, Gandhi recalled India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's iconic 1947 address at the Parliament's Central Hall where the INDIA bloc MPs had gathered before march to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The address recalled the foundational promises of Indian democracy as the INDIA bloc stepped up its joint offensive against the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging institutional bias and political partiality.
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"Jawaharlal Nehru gave a very famous speech. It was given from the Central Hall of Parliament on 14 August 1947. I want to quote a little bit from it. It is a fateful moment for us in India, for all Asia and for the world. A new star rises, the star of freedom in the East, a new hope comes into being, a vision long cherished materialises. May the star never set and that hope never be betrayed..." Rahul Gandhi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the government for imposing curbs in Delhi as 57 metro stations will remain shut in view of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)'s protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, October 10. Kharge accused the government of acting out of fear.
"They are afraid. A person who is afraid will die tomorrow, if not today."Kharge said. “The mistakes committed by Gyanesh Kumar have created a situation of fear in the country and put democracy in danger. That is why we are going to meet the President and apprise her of the things he has done".