INDIA bloc seeks Gyanesh's removal, SIR halt; Rahul says Prez didn't deny 'vote theft' claims

After the meeting, Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul told reporters: 'We took a memorandum to the President of India in which we clearly said that the PM, (home minister) Amit Shah and (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar have conspired to destroy Indian democracy'

INDIA leaders on Friday met Droupadi Murmu and demanded Gyanesh Kumar's removal and the scrapping of the SIR, following which Rahul Gandhi claimed that the President "in no way denied" the allegations of "vote theft" against the Prime Minister, the home minister and the chief election commissioner.

Leaders of 16 INDIA parties marched to Rashtrapati Bhavan in the evening, following which a delegation of 10 submitted a memorandum to the President demanding the "resignation of Gyanesh Kumar... and the repeal of the 2023 law that provides life-long immunity to the CEC and ECs", the immediate suspension of the SIR and restoration of all 13.30 crore voters "illegally deleted from the electoral rolls", a return to paper ballots for all elections, and the repeal of all Assembly polls over the last two years "in which conclusive evidence of vote chori (theft) has been presented".

After the meeting, Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul told reporters: "We took a memorandum to the President of India in which we clearly said that the PM, (home minister) Amit Shah and (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar have conspired to destroy Indian democracy.

"The President in no way denied what we said, in no way questioned what we said, in no way argued against what we said. She accepted our statement and then she said to us that we need to bring her proof of election theft. I said the proof of election theft is known to the whole country, state after state has been stolen, the '24 election has been stolen, and yet the President wants us to take proof to her. This same group of people will take the proof of election theft to the President when she is ready to accept it."

He added: "... I actually expected the President of India to deny that vote theft is taking place.... I was shocked and I was stunned that the President accepted what we said."

The BJP dubbed the claim "a lie".

Rahul said the MPs would go to the Supreme Court with a similar memorandum for the Chief Justice of India.

Former Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said the group requested the

President that "you, as a custodian of the Constitution, please take proper care that democracy should remain, and the republic should continue.... Rahulji has taken

the charge to send all evidence to her".