INDIA bloc renames ‘Mock Parliament’ as ‘People’s Impeachment’ against CEC Gyanesh Kumar

New Delhi: The INDIA alliance has changed the name and format of its proposed “Mock Parliament” against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The event will now be called “People’s Impeachment (Jan Mahabhiyog)” and take place at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on Friday, NDTV reported.

Congress leaders told the channel that they wanted to avoid any action that could be viewed as contempt of Parliament. The gathering forms part of the opposition’s campaign against Kumar over the removal of names from electoral rolls.

Meira Kumar to preside

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar will conduct the proceedings, sources told NDTV. A Samajwadi Party MP will assist her, though the party has yet to finalise the name.

The original proposal involved a debate modelled on parliamentary proceedings. It would have placed government and opposition sides opposite each other before a presiding officer. The organisers have since revised that arrangement.

Opposition leaders met on Thursday to discuss the programme. Participants included Meira Kumar, Priyanka Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, Nasir Hussain, Manickam Tagore and Pawan Khera. Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Mahua Maji and Samajwadi Party’s Harendra Malik also attended.

Kharge to open arguments

The programme will run from 3 pm to 7.30 pm. Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, will open the arguments. Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi will deliver the concluding address.

Leaders from 19 political parties will speak. Each party will receive five minutes, while the Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress will get 10 minutes each. The organisers expect around 30 speakers in total. They also plan to bring a motion against the Chief Election Commissioner during the event.

Voters to share experiences

People whose names were removed from electoral rolls will have an opportunity to address the gathering. Three civil society representatives will also speak. According to NDTV’s report, the programme will focus on electoral roll deletions said to have affected 13.5 crore voters. Congress claims the figure has now reached 16.5 crore.

Congress and other INDIA bloc parties will stream the proceedings live on their YouTube channels and other social media platforms. The event will end with the national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana”.