“Gyanesh Kumar must take responsibility and resign”: Pinarayi Vijayan amid Delhi protest against CEC

Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], October 2 (ANI): Former Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday claimed that several Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders and student-youth activists were "arrested" during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
In a post on X, Vijayan said, "The arrest of Comrade MA Baby, Comrade Brinda Karat and student-youth activists while they were peacefully protesting at Jantar Mantar is an assault on democratic rights."
He questioned the Election Commission's ability to retain public trust, alleging that its actions had raised serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process.
"The Election Commission cannot retain public trust when its actions raise serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process. Gyanesh Kumar must take responsibility and resign," Vijayan said.
He also criticised the Centre over the use of police force during the protest.
"The Modi government cannot use police force to suppress the demand for electoral transparency," he said.
"People’s voices cannot be silenced by state power," Vijayan added.
Members of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) on Friday staged a protest near Jantar Mantar against the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, with CPI(M) leaders demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The protest was held despite Delhi Police denying permission for the proposed demonstration and imposing prohibitory restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby, who joined the protest, alleged that Kumar had violated rules governing the functioning of the Election Commission and demanded his removal.
"Gyanesh Kumar should be arrested for the criminal activity of cutting people's votes," Baby said.
Speaking to reporters earlier, Baby said thousands of youth and student leaders from SFI and DYFI had come to Delhi from different parts of the country.
"In Jantar Mantar and a few other places in Delhi, thousands of youth and student leaders of the Students Federation of India and Democratic Youth Federation have come from different parts of the country. I think they should be the biggest mobilisation in Delhi today," he said.
He alleged that Kumar had been "nakedly violating all existing rules" governing the Election Commission and demanded his removal.
"He should be removed as he's not resigning; he has to be removed. Till he is removed, the student youth movement will continue," Baby said.
CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat also demanded Kumar's removal and called for an immediate halt to the SIR exercise.
"The main question is to make the CEC resign and remove him. He won't resign; he needs to be removed. The SIR must be stopped immediately, and the Election Commission must be fixed by changing the 2023 law," Karat said. (ANI)