THE ongoing protests in the National Capital against Chief Election Commissioner Mr. Gyanesh Kumar is turning into a political spectacle with high decibel levels and low credibility. The street show has sharply divided the country as more and more people are questioning the need of mob assembly when the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is already in the domain of the Supreme Court. Moreover, the demand for Mr. Gyanesh Kumar’s removal, too, cannot be fulfilled by his resignation since he holds a Constitutionally-protected office and his removal requires a Parliamentary process. Despite clear understanding of the facts, Opposition parties are using the protest to manufacture chaos with a frail hope of turning it into electoral gains in the next elections. The right to protest is granted in a democracy. It is a good tool to make the people in power aware of the objections or grievances of the common masses.

 

However, a protest should also have a solid foundation to sustain. The current protest and its offshoots launched by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and various parties look more of a political agenda. This is far different from the agitation first launched by the CJP to protest the leak of NEET UG papers. It was a proper demand as it was related to lives of young medical aspirants. The issue had assumed importance after students’ deaths caused by the paper leak and the Centre’s decision for a re-test. The protest yielded a positive result as the Government realised the seriousness of the subject and Education Minister Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan tendering his resignation.

 

This time, it is a totally different matter based on some allegations and news reports about dissonance between two Election Commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner over a few decisions on revision of electoral rolls. Since the news report detailing objections by two Election Commissioners to a number of decisions overseen by Chief Election Commissioner Mr. Gyanesh Kumar relating to the deployment of the SIR of electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has come out with clarifications and procedures of meetings where a contrary view is taken on record and debated further till there is a unanimous decision. The ECI has stated this in its affidavit in the Supreme Court which is now dealing with the SIR issue. At the same time, those voters affected by the SIR revision have also approached tribunals set up in various States. The matter is already sub-judice but the CJP and Opposition parties seem in too much hurry to declare Mr. Gyanesh Kumar as the villain. Leader of Opposition Mr. Rahul Gandhi and some others have now filed a petition in the apex court over alleged large-scale voter deletions in the SIR of electoral rolls.

 

This should have been the first step if Mr. Gandhi had genuine concerns about voter list revision. Instead, he waited for a group of youngsters with changing goalposts to launch another spectacle and then jump on the bandwagon. Mr. Rahul Gandhi and Ms. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have subtly ensured that the protests become their own show with more eyeballs. Inflaming passions without Constitutional literacy cannot be the sign of a healthy protest. The Opposition has the option of moving a motion in the Parliament. If the allegations hold substance and are backed by material evidence then the Constitution provides a procedure to remove the CEC. It cannot be done by mere hashtags, outrage and theatrics on the streets. The back-to-back marches by the Congress party to Akashvani Bhavan and later to the Supreme Court was a political show to corner the limelight. Gathering party activists for a show of strength has a limited value. It can raise passion and invite cheers from the crowd but without evidence the show can never transform into votes for the Congress. Some youngsters, fed on a steady diet of bits-n-pieces political education, cannot be seen as representatives of Gen Z. The SIR issue needs a comprehensive stack of evidence to invoke the Constitutional process. The solution is in the courts, not on the streets.