HT interview: Our fight is to restore democracy, not just form govt, says KC Venugopal on CEC protests

The Centre is turning every democratic institution into a tool for anti-democratic actions, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal has said, amid the Opposition's protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Venugopal said the people of the country want Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to become the Prime Minister and hit out at Union home minister Amit Shah over his remarks that the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha can only take up the role in a mock Parliament. Edited excerpts:

There are two aspects to this. First, we have to understand the gravity of the issue that we have been raising for the last two years. (Congress MP) Rahul Gandhi has continuously raised the issue of vote theft. He has said that elections are being stolen and that the system of conducting elections has become completely one-sided.

There is no level playing field for (opposition) political parties. There is no system to ensure free and fair elections. But initially, many people did not believe the concerns Gandhi was raising.

I am openly saying the revelations made by two Election Commissioners about their experiences with the CEC have triggered the realisation that something very wrong was happening in the Election Commission.

We have been continuously organising programmes. The Congress and other political parties have been raising the issue. There was already public concern about the Election Commission, but the revelations by the Election Commissioners acted as a trigger.

There are two aspects to this agitation. One is the unity of the INDIA bloc. We are continuously coordinating with our alliance partners and have a robust coordination mechanism.

The second is the role played by the Congress in mobilising people. The party has also gained considerable enthusiasm through its organisational-building exercise, Sangathan Srijan.

The other important factor is that ordinary people are now completely against what is happening. This is a genuine issue. When we call for an agitation, people from all walks of life join us, beyond party workers and INDIA bloc leaders. Civil society, student organisations, youth and farmers are all participating.

We have completed two phases of agitation on a large scale. We will continue taking up this issue until Gyanesh Kumar has been removed.

We are very sure that he cannot continue in this office because the people of India are now realising that he is the main culprit behind all this. Until then, we will continue the agitation. We will sit together and formulate the next course of action.

We will spread it to the state level while continuing the campaign at the Centre. Parliament is also going to meet, and we will take up the issue on a much bigger scale there. As you rightly pointed out, we will spread the agitation to the states as well.

The government has still not prorogued the Monsoon session.

This government is turning every democratic institution - whether Parliament, the Election Commission or central agencies - into a tool for anti-democratic actions. Eighty-two days have passed, and Parliament has still not been convened. If you want to call a special session, call it and finish it. Now the regular Winter session is also approaching.

There is uncertainty on the government's side, not on the Opposition's side. They are repeatedly trying to split political parties. They think this is their strategy. But they should understand that the people of India have realised what is happening. If they continue doing this, they will expose themselves further and their failure will be terrible.

In any case, if something like this happens, it will only benefit the Opposition and the INDIA bloc because the people will understand even more clearly that the government is trying to achieve its objectives by hook or by crook. It is further damaging the democracy of this country.

This is not merely an isolated issue concerning Gyanesh Kumar. I have said the entire system needs to be purified. The electoral system of our country was democratically designed and shaped. Now it has been completely changed. Every day, the Election Commission is issuing new circulars. Somebody said yesterday that the Election Commission of India has become the Circular Commission of India.

Therefore, Gyanesh Kumar must go. That is one objective, and this issue should be discussed in Parliament. The second issue concerns the entire electoral system. You have to understand that the 2023 legislation granting immunity to the Chief Election Commissioner must be revoked.

Amit Shah, wait for some time. Take it from us -- Rahul Gandhi will become the Prime Minister of India. What will happen to Shah and Modi is something they should think about. You wait for 2029.

We never mocked Parliament. We brought an impeachment motion. But the BJP sponsored some people to conduct a mock Parliament. They are calling it a mock Parliament.

There is another point. Perhaps the people of India want Gandhi to become Prime Minister, but his fight is not about becoming Prime Minister.

The INDIA bloc's fight is not merely about becoming part of the government. Our primary fight is to restore democracy in this country, restore the voting rights of ordinary people and uphold the Constitution. These are the three things we want.

We will sit together and decide on this in a few days.

Our mindset is very open. The issue is very big. This is not about any individual becoming Prime Minister or anything else. It is not about any political party coming to power. This is about restoring the fundamental right of the ordinary people to vote. Whoever wants to join this movement is welcome. Nothing else matters. That is what Gandhi has also said. Whoever is fighting for this cause, we are with them. If the cause is genuine and the fight is sincere, there is no issue at all. We will cooperate with people who are ready to cooperate with us sincerely and with the clear conviction that this government must go because of its illegal activities and actions against the democratic values of this country.